Manchester City suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt back in January and Pep Guardiola has explained what his time now have which can help avoid repeated failures.
Wembley Stadium is within touching distance for Manchester City after a stunning 3-1 victory over Newcastle United in the FA Cup fifth round.
The away team went a goal down, but levelled things up before half-time and got the job done in the second half.
Savinho was the scorer of City’s first goal of the night and Jeremy Doku got the assist, with both players starting for the first time since returning from their respective injuries.
Pep Guardiola is glad to have his ‘proper wingers’ back
Man City made it look easy at times against Newcastle, but this would not have been the case without Savinho and Doku.
According to Pep Guardiola, the wingers allowed Man City to break down a narrow team, which they were previously unable to do earlier in the year against Bodo/Glimt.
He said in his post-match press conference: “We didn’t have those players [Savinho and Doku], without them it’s more difficult. Especially against teams like Bodo, they are so narrow inside. Bring the ball to the wingers who have the ability to drop them, turn and move in behind.
“How good Matheus [Nunes] played in the pocket [against Newcastle]. Tijjani [Reijnders], Omar [Marmoush], incredible movements. Inbetween the lines there are no spaces, Newcastle don’t allow spaces, Bodo/Glimt don’t have spaces. Spaces outside, you have to attack there. Both [Savinho and Doku] were massive.”
Guardiola added: “Savinho is injured for more than two months, Jeremy was also injured for a long time. Antoine [Semenyo] can do that [play on the wing], but the rest are not proper, proper wingers. Oscar Bobb was also injured most of the time. They helped us a lot [against Newcastle]. Without proper wingers it would have been much more difficult.”
Savinho and Doku will want to continue their Man City form against Real Madrid
With a massive Champions League tie taking place this week, Guardiola has a big decision on his hands in terms of selecting his starting lineup.
Savinho has rarely been first choice, but he was really good in the FA Cup, while Doku also had a positive game.
It seems unlikely both players will start, with Semenyo highly likely to play, but all will be made known on Wednesday night.
