Pep Guardiola reveals criteria for selecting Manchester City starting XI vs Chelsea in Champions League final
Speaking in an interview this weekend (h/t Mirror), Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted that he will analyse Chelsea and use the next two games as auditions to decide his starting XI in the UEFA Champions League final
City have already won the Premier League and have the luxury of resting players until the showpiece occasion on 29th May. The Blues, on the other hand, find themselves in a tight spot in the race for top 4.
Amid this, the Spanish manager has said that his players would ‘kill’ him in order to start against Chelsea. But he mentioned what criteria he will deploy in order to pick his starting XI on the biggest day in City’s history.
“They all want it – and they will kill me to play. I know that and it’s nice. It will be an incredibly tough decision for me, but I have to analyse the opponent and then decide.”
According to Guardiola, he will use City’s remaining Premier League games and training sessions to adjudge who deserves to play against a staunch Chelsea side that has become a force to reckon with since Tuchel took charge. City face Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday before their GW38 encounter against Everton on Sunday.
“This is a job. I’m sorry. Not everyone can play. So, from now, I am going to observe the two games and the training sessions. I have to see the way I want to play, the way I want to defend, the mentality of the players, the guys who handle the pressure better than the other ones. And in that moment I will try to be honest with myself and the team and make the best selection possible.”
So, for Chelsea fans, keeping an eye on City’s next two games can give an idea of who Pep will pick to start. The number 9 position and their full-backs are largely the spots that Pep could have the most confusion about.
More Chelsea News:
- Transfer News: Thomas Tuchel to be handed £150m transfer war chest for the summer
- Chelsea and Manchester City fans to face travel restrictions for Champions League final
- Napoli not interested in signing Chelsea loanee Tiemoue Bakayoko on a permanent deal
The Blues will have selection headaches of their own but Tuchel has settled in well with his new 3-4-2-1 formation and seems to have an idea of his best starting XI, something which Frank Lampard probably did not during his last few months at the club.