Guardiola defends Man City selection in Champions League final defeat

MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted he presented his best line-up in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League final.

Starting without a recognised defensive midfielder by leaving Fernandinho and Rodri on the bench, Manchester City had big gaps in midfield that Chelsea repeatedly exploited.

It was the open midfield that Chelsea took advantage of to score the only goal of the match as Mason Mount, under no pressure, found Kai Havertz in space which the German ran on to for a cool finish.

Guardiola came under serious criticism for his gamble, which also included playing with no recognised striker and starting out-of-form Raheem Sterling.

But the former Barcelona manager stood by the decisions he made.

“I tried to pick the best selection to win the game,” Guardiola said in his post-match interview.

“We struggled to break the lines in the first half. The second half was much better. Against the defensive structure of Chelsea it wasn’t easy.
“We struggled a little bit with the long balls and second balls. In that moment you need inspiration.”

By leaving out Fernandinho and Rodri, Guardiola made Gundogan play in an unfamiliar deeper role that the German struggled in.

Gundogan has been one of City’s top scorers this season from a more advanced position and looked lost in the defensive midfield position.

Still, Guardiola would not accept blame for the strange line-up.

“I did the selection best to win the game, the players know it,” he insisted.

“I think Gundogan played good, he was exceptional.”

Saturday night was the third consecutive time Tuchel’s Chelsea have beaten Guardiola’s Manchester City in recent weeks, following victories on the FA Cup and the Premier League.