Guardiola made the main selection against Real Madrid in the match with Husanov
Manchester City's head coach Josep Guardiola participated in a briefing dedicated to the changes made in the starting lineup ahead of the important match against Real Madrid. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The Spanish specialist emphasized that these decisions are not random or just rotational changes, but a precise strategy prepared by deeply analyzing the opponent's strengths. Guardiola first spoke about the choice of Niko O'Reilly, posing a question to journalists before the match.
According to him, O'Reilly has played several times as a left wing-back this season, and this choice is not an experiment but a sign of trust in the player. The coach stressed that the main and real change in the lineup is related to the participation of Abduqodir Husanov.
The reason for this decision is very clear and logical because Vinicius from Real Madrid is more active in that very area and wing. Therefore, the City team preferred to field a player who does not hesitate and makes quick decisions in attack without wasting extra time.
Husanov's appearance on the field was based on the idea of limiting Vinicius's threat and providing a physically and speed-wise prepared option in that zone. Additionally, the coach also separately addressed the situation of the wingers.
He said that although the wing players have been dealing with injury-related problems for several months, they showed a good appearance after returning. Guardiola cited Savin's effective performance against Newcastle as an example and emphasized that Jeremy Doku is always a dangerous player who forces the opponent to retreat.
The presence of experienced players like Bernardo Silva and Rodri in the lineup is also an important part of the plan. They are very necessary to establish control over the returned balls, manage the tempo, and organize the game.
As players inclined to run and work intensively, O'Reilly and Antoine Semenyo were mentioned. The coach added that they also have a sense of goal, and set-piece situations are also considered in the plan.
Answering a question about rotation, Guardiola openly stated that this is nothing new. He recalled that he made significant changes in the lineup against Newcastle and mentioned that nine different players took the field then.
Thus, this season City is forced to quickly change the lineup depending on the circumstances, and according to him, this is a normal situation. In the end, Guardiola clearly explained the plan: the goal is to occupy and hold the opponent lower through the wings, approach the penalty area through the central players, and control second balls with experienced players.
That was the idea, and now the most interesting part in football is not theory but practice. The result and the pace of the game will show how well these ideas worked on the field.
Source: One.uz
