Three Man City players Pep Guardiola simply cannot ignore ahead of West Ham clash
Pep Guardiola has very little to complain about after Man City breezed past Brentford in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Exit-linked Oscar Bobb was given a rare start on 17 December, but the winger lasted just 19 minutes before being replaced due to injury, putting an earlier dampener on the clash.
The Etihad Stadium crowd quickly came to life, though, as Rayan Cherki continued his fine form when curling home a beautiful opener, which was finally doubled in the 67th minute by Savinho.
West Ham are up next, and if recent history is anything to go by, the Citizens should have no trouble securing three points on Saturday, 20 December, especially if Guardiola keeps these three players in the team.
Abdukodir Khusanov
Although Abdukodir Khusanov may have been fortunate not to be sent off, it was just a blip in what was a statement performance from the Uzbekistan international.
Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have been the preferred partnership this season, one of the best in the Premier League, rarely giving the 21-year-old a chance to prove himself.
He will feel as though he finally proved himself to the manager, and with the Hammers up next, Khusanov will be hoping to start for a second consecutive game.
Tijjani Reijnders
Does anything really need to be said about Tijjani Reijnders? He absolutely ran the show in the Carabao Cup, eventually notching a goal contribution when feeding the ball to Savinho for the second goal.
With so many attacking stars around him, it is easy for the Dutchman’s skills to get a bit lost, but Guardiola clearly sees the talent available, as Reinjnders continues to shine.
Savinho
Man City fans have struggled with Savinho in the 2025-26 campaign, but in recent matches, the Brazilian finally looks like the player many expected would thrive under Guardiola.
Jeremy Doku, unsurprisingly, has stolen the spotlight on the flanks, and Savinho has left a lot to be desired with his displays. That was until his cameo against Real Madrid.
Since then, the 21-year-old would feel hard done by to lose his spot in the starting lineup. Therefore, Guardiola cannot ignore the talented Brazilian after his goal against Brentford.