Pep Guardiola responded to the ‘zero substitution controversy’.
Manchester City defeated RB Leipzig 1-1 in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2022-23 season European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) held at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany on the 23rd at 5 am (hereinafter referred to as Korean time). got a draw The second leg between the two teams will take place on March 15 at Man City’s home ground, the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City, who had been leading with a goal by Riyad Mahrez, conceded a goal to Yosuko Gbardiol in the 25th minute of the second half to equalize. While Leipzig changed players through replacements to secure mobility and make changes, Manchester City did not subtract any of their starting resources. He seized the initiative and pushed, but no goal was scored. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. 메이저놀이터
After the game, criticism was focused on Guardiola’s judgment. The 1-1 tie situation remained, it was a frustrating situation overall, and considering that there were plenty of resources available on the bench, such as Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Calvin Phillips, and Rico Lewis, it was a disappointing choice. Of course, substitution does not guarantee victory, but there was plenty of room for it to be seen as not even trying in a situation where it was not possible.
It was in contrast to Leipzig, who used up all five replacement cards. It was the first time in 4 years and 4 months since Manchester United in October 2018 that the UCL finished the game without substitution. Guardiola has had zero substitutions before, leaving the club without a substitute in a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace about a year ago.
With the lights on constantly, Guardiola said: “I definitely had the opportunity to make five substitutions, but I decided not to. “I thought about putting Foden in right after that, but I took the initiative again through control. Leipzig’s conversion speed is great, and most of them are fast. To win the game, I needed to maintain control.”
He added the reason, saying, “There were people with good passing skills like Ilkay Gundogan and Marez. This is the ability we needed in the game. Like the first half, we had to play the game with control.”