Pep Guardiola makes ‘body language’ admission as Man City trio continue to be left out

Pep Guardiola has warned his players about their body language after Manchester City’s title charge suffered another blow on New Year’s Eve.

City dropped two valuable points against Everton on New Year’s Eve with both Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo being unused substitutes.

Guardiola has surprisingly opted with talented teenager Rico Lewis to start at right wing-back in all three of City’s games since the season resumed after the World Cup. Nathan Ake has also been preferred on the left with both Walker and Cancelo playing a bit-part role in recent weeks.

Phil Foden has been a similarly surprising omission from Guardiola’s starting line-up with both Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish preferred so far. Pep Guardiola has made a habit of chopping and changing his starting line-up throughout the season during his time in charge at the Etihad.

With such a world class, talented squad at his disposal, it means the boss always has to leave a number of top stars out of his starting eleven when he makes his selection choices.

But addressing the media in the wake of our 1-1 draw with Everton on New Year’s Eve, Guardiola revealed how the mood and body language of his players now played a pivotal role in his thinking.

Addressing the media in the wake of our 1-1 draw with Everton on New Year’s Eve, Guardiola revealed how the mood and body language of his players now played a pivotal role in his thinking.

“We have to play with 11 – we cannot play with 13 – and every time it is difficult to choose for me because always top players are not playing,” Pep reflected.

“Mainly lately – perhaps as I am older – I look at the body language in the training sessions and everything. You cannot play good when the body language is not correct.

“Sometimes I pick them for the body language, for how happy they look and how they are there. This is one of my main decisions when I choose the line-up.

“With the skills I know how good they are, and they know what we want to do.

“But the body language depends on them and sometimes they are not good.”