Pep Guardiola causes ‘shock’ amid ‘dangerous’ Man City issue after Man United draw
Pep Guardiola’s confused management of his squad has caused concern and surprised following Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
In a game of little quality, the best chance of the match came in the form of substitute Joshua Zirzkee‘s header, which was well saved by Ederson.
The clearest sight of goal for the visitors was from January signing Omar Marmoush, when his long-range free-kick parried away by Andre Onana.
The result saw City stay fifth in the table and miss the opportunity to leapfrog Chelsea into the top four, after Enzo Marseca’s men drew 0-0 away to Brentford.
Former Watford striker, Troy Deeney believes that the 54-year-old keeps making the same mistake in terms of veteran midfield personnel and that it is putting Man City in a “dangerous” position with the club’s rebuild.
Guardiola opted against starting natural wingers in Doku and Savinho
Speaking talkSPORT on Monday (7, April), Deeney suggested that Guardiola got his midfield selection wrong, saying: “I also see question marks around Pep because that was a very old midfield which he chose again and it didn’t work again.
“In recent times, he’s had the argument that players have been injured, but everyone is fit and available. He left [Jeremy] Doku and Savinho on the bench, [Nico] Gonzalez.
“It seems to me that he is trying to hold onto some nostalgia, while doing a rebuild and I think that’s a dangerous place for Man City.”
Jeff Stelling replied: “I was shocked that when he lined up with a 5-4-1, there’s no real width there that Savinho didn’t get off the bench, Doku came on as sub, [Jack] Grealish came on as a sub as well, I was really surprised by that.”
Guardiola got in wrong in the Manchester Derby
Football Insider verdict
Guardiola tweaked his formation in the Manchester Derby to accommodate a midfield trio of Mateo Kovacic, playing at the base, with Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and the departing Kevin De Bruyne completing the diamond.
With an average age of 31 years and nine months in this area of the pitch, Guardiola’s side lacked the engine and intensity to truly stamp their authority on the game.
| Guardiola’s midfield selection | Age |
| Mateo Kovacic | 30 |
| Bernardo Silva | 30 |
| Ilkay Gundogan | 34 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 33 |
There’s no question marks in terms of technical quality for the quartet, as they all have the ability to provide Man City with benefits in possession.
However, Guardiola’s decision to leave out all of his natural wingers looks to have back fired, as the visitors were unable provide an element of unpredictability to their build up.
Savinho, who was left on the bench, and Doku would have added another dimension and perhaps given Guardiola’s men the spark to win the game.