Guardiola added that he expects Nicolas Otamendi – a centre-half by trade – to be available to face Steaua Bucharest in Tuesday’s Champions League play-off following a tendon problem.
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Manchester City are reportedly looking to sign Claudio Bravo from Barcelona as a replacement for Joe Hart if he were to leave.
The Barcelona goalkeeper’s camp already sees the player making his way to the Etihad Stadium this summer. Now, however, he finds himself where Hart is – unsure of his first-team place.
And who failed to impress?
It may take time for Guardiola’s blueprint to become fully apparent during the 38-game league season, but City’s change of approach was noticeable in the running the likes of Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling did off the ball.
The French global was also part of the changes on the pitch – with fellow full back Gael Clichy, he found himself moving in from the flank and playing in midfield for much of the game. However, Cabellero is no Manuel Neuer.
The exclusion of midfielder Toure, given the 33-year-old’s past importance to the club, particularly raised eyebrows but Guardiola insists he remains in the frame.
“We need to play at that level of intensity”.
“He had a little bit [of] a problem in the tendon and he could not risk to play two games in three days and that’s why I decide to play with John [Stones] and Kolarov”.
Manchester City it seemed had a few constants but one constant in particular despite the era of flux around the Premier League – a steady pair of hands between the pipes whose critics often were media that simply had an agenda because Joe Hart was England’s undisputed top keeper. “But I want us to have more of the ball”, said the former Manchester United manager. We know we can do it against another team. “But we are working very hard to make it work”. “I’m just disappointed”, he said.
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That was an attention-grabbing selection but Guardiola repeated – as he was probed regularly about it in his post-match press conference – that it was “a decision for today”. Never before has a player that has been with the club so always been treated this way with constant media speculation and focus about his future. “I don’t want to pat them on the back for losing, but a pat on the back would come from the way they stuck at their job, kept going and coming very close to getting a result”. “It was nothing too much, just enough to wake you up. It is not a bad idea compared to staying in your hotel room and lying on your bed”.
