Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, offered insight into his strategic choice to bench Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne during their clash against Aston Villa, as Phil Foden secured a hat-trick in City’s 4-1 victory, marking their first win against a top-five team this season in the Premier League.
Addressing the decision to rest key players Haaland and De Bruyne, Guardiola emphasized the importance of managing player fatigue amid a demanding schedule.
He stated, “They could play and rest other players.
“We put the players out to win it, not just to rest players.
“We need fresh legs and we only played three days ago against Arsenal. We needed it because of the schedule so we needed the rest,” he added.
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City’s victory over Villa solidifies their position in the league, maintaining third place with 67 points. Their point tally places them level with Liverpool, who are set to face Sheffield United on Thursday.
