Manchester City’s shock Carabao Cup exit to Southampton on Wednesday night suprised everyone except Pep Guardiola.
The Premier League champions were dumped out in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 defeat to Saints, who are rock bottom of the top-flight.
Superstar duo Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne started on the bench, but Guardiola felt his Premier League champions were destined to struggle on the south coast regardless of the team he picked.
He said: “Who knows whether with Kevin and Erling it would have been different? I don’t know it.
“We tried to do our best and we rotate the team when we played against Chelsea after the Premier League and it’s good.
“I understand how this business works. Always we try to have everybody involved and everybody has to do it but today was not the case.
“I had the feeling today it doesn’t matter what line-up I am selecting, we are performing this way. Don’t ask me why. This is my experience.
“It doesn’t matter today the line-up we choose, it would happen because we were not here. And that’s why when this happens, they deserve it.”
These Guardiola’s comments were shared on Twitter by City Xtra and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters.
@RayHope111: “That is not true at all!”
@ronanpatlee: “Don’t agree, Walker isn’t able for that role, there was no fluency in passing out from the back.”
@Laporte_SZN: “Walker isn’t a CB and he’s just trying to find his form again, very cruel to play him there.”
@HoesLuvGino: “What is baldy waffling about,you picked our D Team not even B Team against Southampton’s FIRST XI”
@MCFCHarv: “This means he’s starting gomez again for those of you who don’t understand pep.”
@RayHope111: “I think Pep has lost his mind!”
He’s changing the lineup every game, 4 different defensive lineups in 4 matches
Playing people out of position. Anyone gets on a roll and they’re not starting the next game.
It’s a mess. pic.twitter.com/B4ACBuzqsf
— Andy (@a779457) January 11, 2023
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