Unlike last December, Manchester City are in a better position with regards to Covid-19 than most others in the league.
It was 12 months ago that the spread of a new, super-contagious Alpha strain of the virus forced Pep Guardiola's side to cancel their fixture at Everton hours before it was set to be played, shut their training ground and then travel to Chelsea a few days later missing seven first-team players (or nine if you also included injuries).
That led to suggestions from people who should've known better — including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is now being rightly praised for his comments around Covid — that the Blues had benefitted from their outbreak because they had had time off at a busy period. The range of holiday they had varied, but the insinuation was the same.
This year, games are being cancelled left, right, and centre as a result of the new, super-contagious Omicron strain infecting squads and suddenly match postponements are far more palatable.
It shouldn't be forgotten that Covid very rarely went away from City.
They began last season with players testing positive — Ilkay Gundogan took a month or so to fully recover — before the December crisis and there have been regular cases since.
The academy had to be shut in August after an outbreak among the youth teams, meaning Guardiola's pre-season preparations were affected. And Zack Steffen and Kevin De Bruyne are among the players to test positive on international duty this season.
The manager's inconclusive test on Friday will be seen in some quarters as another doomsday sign, but the Premier League statement on recent cancellations could not have been clearer: "All other fixtures due to be played this weekend are currently scheduled to proceed as planned."
The players are already back under emergency measures and will be tested to ensure there are no more positives in the squad, whatever the outcome of Guardiola's PCR.
And while the manager should ideally be present, there is already recent precedent with Eddie Howe at Newcastle for a game to go ahead without a coach on the touchline. City's backroom staff is extensive, including coaches who have previously managed, so it would hardly dent them if Guardiola had to sit out a few games.
Obviously, the situation is moving incredibly fast and the Blues will need to be as cautious and vigilant as they have been throughout. As things stand though, Guardiola's absence — if confirmed — should not fundamentally change their preparations for upcoming games as they follow the Premier League intention.
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