Pep Guardiola chose not to reintroduce Phil Foden in Manchester City’s match against Brentford for two main reasons.
First, with the game still closely contested, Guardiola didn’t want to risk playing Foden, who hadn’t fully recovered. Second, he wanted to keep Foden fresh for the upcoming matches against Inter Milan and Arsenal, with City facing a demanding week ahead.
Although Foden was back in the squad after missing two games due to illness and withdrawing from international duty, he wasn’t brought off the bench. He had participated in training before the game but wasn’t asked to warm up during the match.
Rodri, on the other hand, was called in at half-time to stabilize City’s struggling midfield. Making his first appearance of the season, Rodri had missed the earlier games due to minor injuries following a late return from his summer break. Guardiola thanked the Spanish national team for managing Rodri’s playing time, allowing him to only play an hour of football during the international break.
Guardiola explained: “He’s been injured, but played a few minutes with Spain. I asked him how he felt, and he said he felt good. Rodri is vital for us, and when he can’t play, we have Kova [Mateo Kovacic] who has been excellent. We rotate because we need to, especially with players like Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] and Kyle [Walker], who are also getting important minutes.”
Regarding winger Savinho, Guardiola stated that his substitution due to an apparent injury seemed to be related to cramp, although further evaluation would be done.
Reflecting on the Brentford match, Guardiola acknowledged that City was tested more than usual, particularly after Brentford scored just 22 seconds into the game. City’s equalizer, courtesy of a deflected shot by Erling Haaland, came 20 minutes later, but Guardiola admitted that Brentford had made it a tough contest, saying, “It felt closer to 0-2 than 1-1 at one point. At halftime, I didn’t say much. It was more about adjusting and continuing to press high and find the right moments.”
He also remarked that the Premier League’s competitive nature means there will be surprises, and while City will inevitably drop points, the team’s mentality and ability to adapt helped them secure the win this time.
On their European campaign, City are determined to reclaim the Champions League trophy. With the new tournament structure featuring 36 teams in a large group stage, City will face tough competition, including last year’s finalists Inter Milan, as well as Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. Despite the challenge, City hopes to go all the way again.
