Pep Guardiola defended his decision to remove three important players during Manchester City’s Champions League defeat to Feyenoord.
Guardiola shifted his focus to Liverpool on Sunday, withdrawing Nathan Ake, Ilkay Gundogan, and Phil Foden with City leading 3-0.
In their stead, a Kevin De Bruyne who was only partially fit, James McAtee, who was rarely seen, and a teenage defender named Jahmai Simpson-Pusey were introduced.
Feyenoord capitalised on a City defence that was jittery and lacked protection following the modifications, resulting in an extraordinary stalemate. This result further exacerbated City’s recent issues, as it was their sixth consecutive loss.
justified his modifications by asserting that the game was secure and that he could rest the triumvirate that had been replaced. “Nathan comes with 20 minutes left and the game was not in danger,” according to him.
“That has occurred on numerous occasions, and Nathan has sustained injuries.”
We were unwilling to subject him to unnecessary exposure for 90 minutes. “Gundogan is the sole holding midfielder we possess, and Phil is required to play large amounts of minutes.”
I do it to ensure that Kevin achieves the greatest possible rhythm. Macca and Jahmai are consistently extremely secure. The situation was entirely satisfactory.
also defended Josko Gvardiol, who was responsible for the first two Feyenoord goals following two errors against Tottenham.
The manager stated, “He is so young, he will learn.” “It will be a positive experience.” He was the most exceptional player on the pitch, but I would be completely inaccurate if I identified a specific factor that contributed to our loss.
He is a youthful individual who will acquire knowledge. He is an exceptional player and a remarkable young man, and it is imperative that he receives assistance at this time.
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