Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has opened up about his choice to leave star striker Erling Haaland on the bench during City’s Carabao Cup Round of 16 match against Tottenham Hotspur, resulting in a defeat that knocked them out of the competition.
Tottenham’s 2-1 victory on Wednesday evening ended Manchester City’s Carabao Cup run, with goals from Timo Werner and Pape Matar Sarr propelling Spurs into the quarter-finals. Matheus Nunes managed to find the net for City, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win. Haaland, a key figure in City’s lineup and top scorer, watched the entire match from the sidelines.
Explaining his decision, Guardiola stated that his choice to rest Haaland was deliberate, taking into account the forward’s intense playing schedule since the start of the season. “It’s quite simple… the plan was for him not to play this game,” Guardiola shared in an interview with Sky Sports. “He’s played a lot of minutes, we knew for this week we’ve no recovery and not many players, and I didn’t want to waste energy for him.”
With a demanding season ahead, Guardiola emphasized the importance of managing player fatigue, especially for a key player like Haaland. The striker has already been involved in several matches across domestic and international competitions, and Guardiola hinted that giving him rest was crucial for the longer season.
Haaland’s absence was noticeable as City struggled to find the finishing touch that the Norwegian typically brings. However, Guardiola’s focus seemed to be on preserving Haaland’s fitness, as City has several high-stakes matches approaching, including an upcoming Premier League clash against Bournemouth this weekend. Haaland is now expected to return to the lineup for that fixture, as City continues to prioritize the league and other competitions.
