Pep warning to his ‘sad’ City stars
PEP GUARDIOLA has to wait a bit longer to lift another Premier League title after yesterday’s events – but he has told Raheem Sterling and other “sad” Manchester City stars to leave if they want to play every match.
Guardiola made eight changes to his Champions League team at Selhurst Park before tomorrow’s second leg with Paris-Saint Germain and still won 2-0 at Crystal Palace. The Carabao Cup winners’ 19th consecutive away win means a home victory over Chelsea on Saturday will guarantee them becoming champions again.
But City boss Guardiola warned: “I am not a manager who just plays the
same 11 players all the time. And when one guy wants to play always, always, always, maybe it’s not the right place to be. But it is what it is – I cannot do any more.”
Guardiola gave an insight into the stresses of maintaining unity in a squad of superstars in which Sterling and Aymeric Laporte were among the £300million of talent in a secondstring team.
He said: “Eight players didn’t play in Paris and they were sad. Happy for the team but they were sad for not playing.
“Imagine you want to do your job but a guy tells you that you can’t. It’s so tough for me, so tough for them.
“The best way to answer me, prove me wrong and feel guilty, is on the grass. On the green.Today they did it.”
England star Sterling scored 35 goals last season but has notched only 15 this term – and has not started a Champions League match since February. The former Liverpool forward hit the post and sent two shots just wide against Palace.
“Raheem responded like he responded in the Carabao,” said Guardiola. “He deserved to play in Paris. But it’s unfair if I leave Phil [Foden] or Riyad [Mahrez] out now. It’s so difficult.”