Manchester City fans were greeted with a surprise lineup as Manchester City filed out for the Premier League clash against Aston Villa on Wednesday, MySportDab reports.
Two of the team’s key players – Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne – were missing from the starting IX against the Villains.
Regarded as the fulcrum of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City winning machine, Haaland and De Bruyne rarely miss competitive fixtures for City.
It is usually on occasion of injuries that you have Guardiola opt for the next available options away from the duo.
For context, the pair had featured in City’s last match against Arsenal at Etihad and were fit to return to action against Aston Villa, hence Guardiola’s antics came more of a surprise than a given.
Meanwhile, there were speculations the Spaniard must have decided to drop the pair due to their recent underwhelming shows for the team.
Against projections the pair must have been dropped due to slacks in performance, Pep Guardiola has confirmed he just wanted to manage their minutes.
Speaking after the Aston Villa clash, the Spaniard admitted he had to rotate the squad slightly due to the grueling schedule of games for the team.
“In two-and-a-half days we have another game at 12:30 [Crystal Palace away]’ the Man City boss said.
”I think all the teams at the top have a big squad, a good squad, and of course we have it. Today we decided for this line-up for this tough opening and [we will] go for it,” he said
Phil Foden was a standout performer for City in the absence of the club’s big guns. The England star bagged a hat-trick as the hosts ran out with a 4-1 emphatic victory over the Unai Emery-led side.
It is still unclear whether Guardiola will return the dropped stars to City’s starting lineup in their next game against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
However, a heavier squad rotation against the Eagles is more likely as the Spaniard would opt to reserve the big guns for the much-anticipated Champions League quarterfinal first-leg against Real Madrid next week.
