- Man City have busy end-of-season schedule
- Every match holds importance
- Pep Guardiola forced to make tough decisions
Manchester City have four matches to play in the space of under two weeks, meaning Pep Guardiola has some important decisions to make.
The modern day football calendar can be unforgiving, especially in situations where every fixture has a lot at stake.
Manchester City have this exact problem, with four very important matches taking place in a short timespan.
As a result, Pep Guardiola will have to make difficult choices about how many minutes he gives to his key players, and whether to rely on those on the fringes of his squad.
Pep Guardiola will make changes against Crystal Palace
Guardiola used to be known as the manager who would bring players in and out of his team all the time. Anyone who plays the popular Fantasy Premier League game would certainly know this to be the case.
However, recently he seems to have found a starting lineup he is happy with, meaning there have been minimal changes each game.
This has not always been an option though, most recently due to Rodri’s ongoing injury. Additionally, Guardiola now needs to think about how to use his best talents while avoiding the risk of burnout.
Speaking in his press conference after Man City’s 3-0 win over Brentford, the manager said: “The next games I’m going to rotate the team. Otherwise we cannot arrive for the FA Cup final, or Bournemouth a little bit. We’ll see the [Arsenal] result and after we’ll make decisions.”
Man City cannot afford any drastic switch-ups
With Arsenal narrowly defeating West Ham, City are still in a position where winning all their remaining matches is a necessity to stand any chance of wrapping up the league title.
Any major changes to the first-team will cause disruption, and could cost the Citizens a shot at Premier League glory.
During City’s past couple of matches, Guardiola’s midfield replacements for Rodri have not really been able to deliver the way he would have hoped.
Ultimately, there is a reason the Catalan coach usually starts the players he does, and changing too much in one game could have real consequences.
City do have quality across their squad
In fairness, some players who rarely start for Man City have quality to offer. Omar Marmoush proved this on Saturday, recording a very good finish in stoppage time.
Phil Foden also looked bright when he came on, landing two promising shots on target which forced Caoimhin Kelleher into action.
These are the types of players who will need to step up again, because resting first-team starters is not really a choice for Guardiola – it is a requirement.
