PEP ROULETTE: PEP GUARDIOLA CONFIRMS FULL ROTATION FOR CITY VS BRENTFORD CUP TIE
Pep Guardiola will heavily rotate his squad for the Carabao Cup quarter-final vs. Brentford, bringing in academy players as Jeremy Doku and John Stones face injury layoffs.
Pep Guardiola has stated that he'll tweak Manchester City's lineup when they play Brentford in Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final.
This game at the Etihad Stadium is happening shortly after City's tough 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace, which kept them in the Premier League title chase with Arsenal.
Guardiola's team, which also won against Real Madrid 2-1 at their stadium the previous week, has five league matches between December 20 and January 7. With the title race expected to get fiercer in the new year, the Brentford match is a chance for some players to rest.
Also, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations to play for Algeria and Egypt, respectively.
“We’ve now lost Rayan and Omar,” Guardiola said. “We have some injuries, like John Stones and Jeremy Doku. We’ll have to wait and see. Getting to the semi-finals is just one step away.
“Now we have less time to recover, three days instead of four. Players who haven’t played as much recently will get a chance.
“Some players from the academy will also play, because after that, we play West Ham in the league on Saturday. I’m not saying that getting to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup isn't important, but usually when we do get there, we have the whole team available, with no injuries, so we can rotate the team.”
City won the Carabao Cup four times in a row under Guardiola from 2018 to 2021, but haven't reached the final since.
Even though he's busy with the title race and European games, he insisted that he's not ignoring Wednesday's match.
“If you’re one game away from a semi-final, you should go for it,” he said. “You never know when you'll get another opportunity.”
Guardiola last made changes for the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad on November 25, which ended in a 2-0 loss.
In the lineup that night were Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis, and Oscar Bobb, who haven't had many Premier League starts. They might get to play on Wednesday.
Guardiola mentioned that the defeat was mainly because of a lack of experience.
“In the Leverkusen game, we needed a more experienced player on the field,” he said. “It’s not about skill; it’s about being secure. Some players are still young and haven't played much.”
James Trafford—who Guardiola confirmed will absolutely stay at the club in January—is expected to be in goal.
However, Stones and Doku won't be playing, as Doku's injury is expected to last into January.
“Jeremy will be out for two or three weeks,” Guardiola said. “Maybe he'll return in the new year at Sunderland.”
THE REAL: REASON JEREMY DOKU BELIEVES THE NEXT FOUR GAMES WILL DEFINE CITY’S SEASON
Jeremy Doku praises City's pride after Bernardo Silva's red card, eyeing redemption in Sunday's Carabao Cup final.
Jérémy Doku sees winning the Carabao Cup as a helpful way for Manchester City to bounce back from their Champions League disappointment. After being knocked out by Real Madrid for the third consecutive year, with a 5-1 aggregate loss in the round of 16, the team faces a tough challenge to regroup quickly.
Pep Guardiola's squad now has to shift focus to their upcoming trip to Wembley, where they’ll take on Arsenal on Sunday. Despite the setback in Europe, Doku feels that lifting a trophy this week would help erase the recent frustration.
He said, “It’s a good way to recover. We’ll do everything we can to win that game and bring home a trophy. The next four matches really matter. We have to recover well for Sunday and then take it one game at a time.”
What lies ahead will likely define the city's season. After the Carabao Cup final, they face an FA Cup quarterfinal against Liverpool following the international break, as well as two critical Premier League games against Chelsea and Arsenal.
“There’s still plenty at stake,” Doku added. “We’re competing in three different competitions, with three trophies still on the table. If we manage to win one, it’ll still be a strong season for us. Of course, missing out on the Champions League is disappointing. It’s always a special trophy. But we have to learn from those games against Real Madrid, recover properly, and focus on what’s next.”
City endured a tough week, following a 3-0 loss in Madrid with a narrow 2-1 defeat at the Etihad. One pivotal moment was Bernardo Silva’s early red card in the second leg.
Yet, Doku draws some confidence from how the team performed despite being down to 10 men against such a formidable opponent.
“We have reasons to be proud,” he reflected. “Playing against a team like Real Madrid with one less player and still causing them problems isn’t something every team can do. We didn’t get the win, but we can look each other in the eye knowing we gave a good performance both with 11 players and with 10. We created chances and played well.”
He went on to say, “If we bring that kind of effort to every match, we’ll trouble many teams. There are valuable takeaways from this game that we can carry into the next.”
WHY PEP GUARDIOLA CANCELLED TRAINING BEFORE MANCHESTER CITY’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REMATCH
Pep Guardiola cancels Manchester City training to combat fatigue ahead of the 3-0 comeback attempt vs Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola has shared his reasoning for skipping training the day before Manchester City’s crucial Champions League last-16 second leg against Real Madrid at the Etihad. Facing a tough three-goal deficit from their 3-0 loss at the Bernabeu last week, City are up against the difficult task of overturning this against a team that has won Europe’s top trophy 15 times.
Historically, only four teams have managed to claw back a gap of three or more goals in the knockout stages, so the challenge ahead is immense. Guardiola acknowledges his players will need to deliver an almost flawless performance if they hope to stage a remarkable comeback on home turf. Still, he remains hopeful they will create plenty of scoring chances against Alvaro Arbeloa’s side.
In a somewhat unexpected move, Guardiola has decided to give his first team a day off on Monday, opting for a light session just hours before kickoff on Tuesday. At Monday’s press conference, he explained the logic behind this approach, citing the fatigue from travel and recent matches. After returning late from Madrid, then heading to London for a Premier League draw against West Ham, the players have had a packed schedule. Guardiola feels a day of rest will serve them better than trying to squeeze in more training.
He further emphasised the mental aspect, pointing out that mental strength plays a big role in how well they perform. He plans to assess the players’ condition and conduct training on Tuesday afternoon. With travel taking its toll and players spontaneously connecting with their families, he believes keeping them relaxed and fresh is crucial.
Captain Bernardo Silva, who was the only City player present for media duties, supported Guardiola’s decision. He reflected on past occasions when the team took rest days following both wins and losses, trusting the manager’s judgement to help them regroup and come back stronger.
On team news, Guardiola revealed he has most of his starting lineup settled, though one spot remains uncertain. Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and Rico Lewis (ankle) are sidelined, but Mateo Kovacic has returned to the bench after recovering from a lengthy ankle and heel injury. With these preparations in place, City will be charging into a daunting but pivotal night against one of Europe’s giants.
