Why Pep Guardiola didn’t make any substitutions in Man City draw at RB Leipzig
Pep Guardiola has justified his decision to not make any substitutions during Manchester City’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Despite dominating the first half of the game, Leipzig made a comeback in the second half and secured a draw. Guardiola’s strategy allowed Manchester City to maintain control of the game, but Leipzig became more aggressive and created a more open game.
With limited options on the bench due to the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte, Guardiola chose not to bring on Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez, and instead played the same starting 11 throughout the entire match.
“I have the opportunity to have five substitutions, I am the manager I apply and take it if I want,” he said in a sarcastic tone.
“It doesn’t mean if I have the substitutions I have to do the substitutions. I’m a so good manager to decide what I have to do or not.”
Guardiola conceded that he almost substituted Phil Foden after Josko Gvardiol’s equalizer in the second half, but City responded quickly and regained control of the game, prompting Guardiola to stick with his starting lineup for the remainder of the match.
He praised Foden’s talent but felt that the team had the situation under control and did not need to make any changes.
“With this control. Because they play with six upfront. Two fullbacks as wingers, four players incredible runners. Those positions you need control. That’s why the players we had, Gundogan, Riyad [Mahrez], you need extra passes.
“Especially in the first leg, maybe second leg I decide to be crazy and play nine strikers and make up and downs. In this game I felt, I’ve been in this country and I need this type of control. Up and downs, it’s open, one or two actions from Gundo to give the ball to Erling they block it. These situations, German teams are better than us.”
In a different interview, Guardiola credited Bernardo Silva for providing him with the necessary midfield control to contain Leipzig’s attacking players. Guardiola mentioned that Silva’s performance allowed the team to maintain their dominance and control the game.
It’s worth noting that City became the first team since Manchester United in 2018 to not make a single substitution in a Champions League match.
Why Pep Guardiola didn’t make any substitutions in Man City draw at RB Leipzig
