SHOCKING DECISION: Pep Guardiola SUBSTITUTES Haaland after his INCREDIBLE goal in City’s Champions League win!
Pep Guardiola provided clarity on why Erling Haaland was substituted during Manchester City’s Champions League victory over Slovan Bratislava, despite Haaland scoring in the match.
Haaland secured City’s third goal with a composed finish after bypassing the goalkeeper just before the hour mark, but was immediately replaced. Following the game, Haaland and Guardiola were seen having a lengthy conversation as they left the pitch together.
Although Guardiola would prefer to keep Haaland on the field for the entirety of each match, he explained that the team’s demanding schedule requires careful management of the Norwegian striker. After Haaland’s physically intense performance against Newcastle at the weekend, Guardiola decided it was wise to substitute him once City had established a 3-0 lead.
“I would love to keep him on the pitch at all times, but with a 3-0 lead, the game was nearly decided, and with so many fixtures, we have to manage his playing time. He had taken a heavy knock in the game against Newcastle, so after that brilliant goal following Rico’s pass, it made sense to take him off,” Guardiola explained.
James McAtee came off the bench to score his first goal for City, sealing a 4-0 win and boosting the team’s goal difference. While Guardiola acknowledged the importance of goal difference, he emphasized that his primary focus is on winning matches, rather than the specifics of group-stage qualification.
“Someone mentioned the goal difference to me, but I don’t dwell on that. Winning games is what matters. We’ve got three challenging away fixtures ahead, and we need to accumulate as many points as possible. Today’s win is a positive step towards climbing higher in the table,” he added.
