Daniel Farke admitted the current situation surrounding his team caught up with them in the second-half of their pre-season friendly defeat to Newcastle United.
With six players coming to the end of their self-isolation period and Todd Cantwell missing with a slight knock, the City boss was left with limited options.
Only six players were named on his bench, and the City boss admitted the likes of Teemu Pukki, Kenny McLean and Jacob Sorensen were not ready to play 90 minutes.
“The first-half was good, second-half was not good,” he said. “That sums up the game. It’s always a bit disappointing when you lose the last test before the real stuff.
“Our situation in the last two weeks has been a difficult one. It was difficult to be really competitive today, we’ve only had ten players who’ve been ready to go for 90 minutes.
“These were the ten players in the starting line-up. On the bench we had Teemu Pukki who is just since yesterday back in team training and not ready for 90 minutes and Kenny McLean who’s been out for 12 weeks and has been struggling with his back this week.
“We had Jacob Lungi Sorensen as well who’s only just back from Covid. He has many symptoms and is only just on his way to finding his legs back.”
City lost the match 3-0, despite the score being goalless at half-time. Goals came from Matt Ritchie and Dwight Gayle (2) in the second-half.
“It would have been a big surprise for a team with just ten players who could playe 90 minutes against a side who played in front of their home fans for the first time in a while to win.
“I quite liked the first-half. We were the better side but could have been more precise in the final third. But we were really good.
“In the second half I think some of the players were a bit tired. We’ve been giving lots of minutes to players, more than I would have liked.
“For that, we got a bit more tired and made some mistakes. The second-half was not on our level.
“The only thing that matters is that we are there when the real stuff begins. I’m quite pleased that we had this test today, it was important for Teemu, Kenny and Jacob to get some minutes under their belt.”
“For our young lads as well, it was the first time for Andrew against a Premier League side. And the first time for a some of our new signings against a Premier League side.
“It was important that we had the test today.”
On his absentees, Farke said: “Todd had a knock yesterday in training and rolled his ankle. We have to wait, he’ll be out for a few days. Hopefully he’s available for the weekend.
“We have some good news with the Covid situation. No new cases in the last ten days, all the players who’ve been isolating will be back next week.
“We are in a much better position, but it’s not easy. When I think about Milot Rashica, he’s missed four games now and for a new player, it’s not great. Grant Hanley as well, he hasn’t played a game yet.
“It’s not been easy but we have to handle it. From next week, the situation will improve day by day. Today was our hardest test of pre-season and I understand the performance in the second-half. We’ll take bits from this game.”
Looking ahead to next week and the visit of Liverpool to Carrow Road, the City boss said his team will be ready.
“We have to make sure the lads are prepared for our first competitive game. Every day helps for everyone, the injured lads and the lads coming back.
“The start to August could be bumpy but we’ll take this. We’ll have to grind things out and dig in. It’s a tough start but we’ll be ready.”