African Cup of Nations: How Will Man City Be Hit by Loss of the Toure Brothers?

The African Cup of Nations is a very awkwardly timed tournament in the way it affects major European leagues. Specifically. the blue half of Manchester will be hit hard by the loss of both Yaya and Kolo Toure.

Roberto Mancini has been more than vocal in expressing his concerns about the loss of Yaya, as Kolo hasn't been a very prominent piece this season.  The Daily Mail reports Mancini's in a pit of panic:

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Mancini feels he is short of numbers as he enters a crucial part of the season. Asked if he had been told he couldn’t buy this month, Mancini said: ‘Yeh, yeh. This is the problem. But if we don’t have the players it’s tough for us. We are not United. The difference is this. United and Chelsea have won trophies for many years. So they are quiet now. They understand that they can play without pressure.

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The loss of the Toure brothers leaves Manchester City short in both midfield and defense. This problem is intensified with a recent slew of injuries and suspension.

Gareth Barry, Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko, Owen Hargreaves (surprised?) and Samir Nasri are all likely to miss time early in January. 

According to SoccerNet.com, in order for City to gain the reinforcements Mancini would like, they must first sell a number of unwanted players, including Carlos Tevez, who continues to be heavily linked with Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter.

The loss of Yaya Toure in the center of the park will be huge for Manchester City, but any injury to central defense could in fact be detrimental. Young Stefan Savic has shown that he clearly isn't ready to start yet in the Premier League.  

Manchester City certainly have holes to fill in their squad in the January transfer window.  Facing such glaring difficulties with the Toures' departures, and their sudden lack of funds, it might suggest that perhaps the surplus signing of Samir Nasir wasn't the best timing.

Perhaps a injury-ridden Owen Hargreaves wasn't the wisest choice to replace Yaya, either.  

Despite glaring holes, Manchester City still has a stellar squad.

Losing a rotational central defender isn't a huge problem, since Kolo hasn't made very significant contributions to the club this season. A cheap and fairly capable EPL defender could be purchased if Mancini deems this necessary.

Losing Yaya Toure is obviously a lot different.  Though he's a world-class midfielder, replacing him with the hard tackling Nigel De Jong is not the worst a team could do.

If one thing's for sure, Manchester City will likely look to sell Tevez sooner than later to reap the benefits of his transfer value, and to bring in a few pieces this January.   

Have your say below: Will this be detrimental to City's Title chances?