- Man City won 3-0 against Crystal Palace
- Marmoush and Foden both made vital contributions
- Pep Guardiola complimentary of both players
Manchester City got the job done on Wednesday night, causing Pep Guardiola to highlight the contributions of four players.
Pep Guardiola is a very happy man after what he saw from his team against Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens needed a win to keep their Premier League title aspirations alive, and this is exactly what they achieved.
Taking all three points was made to look rather simple, which was due to the outstanding performances of a select few individuals.
Phil Foden was Man City’s standout player
Manchester City are playing to win silverware right now, and Phil Foden is someone who has already won six Premier League titles, five Carabao Cups and the Champions League.
The England international has often been a key contributor to his club’s successes, and he showed exactly why against Crystal Palace.
Impressed by Foden’s performance, Guardiola told Sky Sports: “He’s a player with incredible attributes, otherwise he would not have been many years as an academy player, many years being here winning six Premier Leagues, all the trophies that we won together.
It’s because his contribution has been amazing!”
Foden was not the only star to shine
Although Foden has received most of the plaudits after Wednesday’s triumph, Omar Marmoush deserves a lot of credit.
The Egyptian scored for a second successive game, and this has certainly not gone unnoticed by Guardiola.
“Marmoush is always a guarantee, always he’s there, with work ethic and always he’s goals,” Guardiola continued.
He went on to praise two more of his players, adding: “Rayan [Cherki] came [on] really good, and Mateo [Kovacic] especially, he was extraordinary! And yeah, ready for the [FA Cup] final.”
Pep Guardiola has a strong backup team
Rayan Cherki is very much a nailed-on starter now, but the other recipients of Guardiola’s praise have struggled for minutes in recent months.
Yet the quality they possess is clear to see, which highlights just how strong a squad the Catalan manager has at his disposal.
As seen with Cherki though, a quality squad player can end up breaking into the first-team. With this in mind, Guardiola has plenty to think about ahead of the FA Cup final.
Foden was so good against Crystal Palace, so will Guardiola really want to bench him? Additionally, Marmoush deserves at least an appearance off the bench against Chelsea.
These are superb attacking options and in order to keep them content in the long-term, Guardiola has to consider how much time he is affording them on the pitch.
