FA Cup 2021-22: Pep Guardiola defends Man City team selection despite semis ouster to Liverpool

It was another painful end to Manchester City’s pursuit of a domestic title. On Saturday, it was knocked out of the 2021-22 FA Cup semis against rival Liverpool 2-3 at the Wembley Stadium in London. While critics and fans questioned City’s team selection, club head coach Pep Guardiola defended it.

It all started after Ibrahima Konaté put Liverpool ahead in the ninth, followed by the second from Sadio Mané in the 17th and 45th, as it led 3-0 at half-time. Jack Grealish pulled one back for City in the 47th, followed by Bernardo Silva in the added time. However, The Reds managed to hold firm to their lead with their solid defence, knocking out the Cityzens.

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Following the defeat, Guardiola defended his team by commenting, “I have a lot of confidence in my players. We had a lot of fixtures and travels and many important games, which is why I picked the team. We didn’t look tired after we scored because football is about momentum. We had the clearest chances, and we scored goals. It is not easy to do that against Liverpool. We fought to the end and showed our pride.”

On being asked what made him field goalkeeper Zack Steffen, he answered, “I spoke to the team in general, but it was an accident. It happens. Edi was close [to committing a mistake] in the last game. It happens. We need that to create our football. Of course, you should review if it happens often, but we use our keeper to move our opponents into different situations.”

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“I would say that the average, the way we create our options, these things can happen. It is an accident. I’m pretty sure Zack didn’t want to do it. Sometimes the strikers miss in front of the keeper. Other times, the keeper makes a mistake,” concluded Guardiola.