Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola made some bold decisions for Wednesday’s crucial Premier League encounter against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium. Notably, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were both benched for the match.
Guardiola had staunchly defended Haaland during the pre-match press conference, responding to criticism from former Manchester United captain Roy Keane. Keane’s comments about Haaland’s performance during Sunday’s match against Arsenal had stirred controversy, suggesting that the Norwegian’s gameplay was subpar.
Despite Haaland’s remarkable track record, including scoring 52 goals in Manchester City’s triumphant season last year, he has faced challenges regaining his top form since sustaining a foot injury in December, notably during a 1-0 defeat to Villa.
While Haaland has accumulated 29 goals across all competitions this season, he has struggled to find the back of the net in 12 of his last 17 matches for both club and country, remaining goalless in his last five games.
Guardiola’s tactical adjustments extended beyond Haaland and De Bruyne, as he made a total of four changes to the starting lineup. Rico Lewis, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, and Julian Alvarez were brought in, while injured Nathan Ake and Mateo Kovacic were sidelined.
On the opposing side, Aston Villa faced their own challenges, with top scorer Ollie Watkins and Argentine World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez absent due to injury and illness, respectively.
