It’s three and easy for Blues
JESUS DOUBLE KEEPS TITLE PRESSURE ON
PEP Guardiola dismissed any fitness concerns over Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne as he revelled in the options he has available to him.
The City pair have both contributed to the manager’s injury woes over the course of the season, with the squad looking worryingly thin during a torrid December that saw them lose three league games – and their grip on top spot in the Premier League.
Aguero missed the two most recent games with illness, only returning to training on Thursday, while De Bruyne was last seen heading straight down the tunnel after being substituted during the win over Burton.
Both started on the bench against Wolves, but Guardiola confirmed that it was not down to any lingering concerns over their fitness.
“I have an incredible squad,” he said.
“[Ilkay] Gundo[gan] made six or seven assists in the last two games but didn’t play.
“Both him and Kevin deserve to play but Bernardo also deserves to play and [Fernan]Dinho for what they have done against Liverpool.
“Today one of my favourite players, Phil [Foden], was not in the 18 but there are a lot of games and maybe new players are going to come in.
“They have to be ready and they have to know they need to play good in all the details because if they don’t, another is going to play.
“I’m unfair for many players. They know that, but today I decided for the fresh players like Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Bernardo and Dinho.” Gabriel Jesus made the most of Aguero being on the bench to net his sixth and seventh goals in the past four games, returning to form to put pressure on his more senior team-mate.
Asked whether he could possibly leave Jesus out for the next game, a happy Guardiola talked up the options at his disposal.
“I’m a courageous manager,” he said.
“I will dream, I will sleep, I will talk to my staff and see what happened and try to involve everyone.
“The last four games have been amazing – Southampton, Liverpool and two cups. Everybody played.
“Everybody is part of it and the next game everybody will be there.
“I don’t like to play with 11, 12 players.
“It is impossible to sustain in four competitions, not just physically and mentally but also for the locker room.
“Everyone has to be ready. Some players play more than the other ones but we are still in four competitions and everybody is going to play until the end of the season.”