Pep Guardiola has explained why he hasn’t been including Kyle Walker in his Manchester City line-ups as regularly as in past seasons.
While City don’t necessarily have the biggest squad in the Premier League, the depth of quality they have means that there will always be supremely talented players left on the bench.
That was evident in City’s 1-1 draw with Real Madrid earlier this week, when Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez didn’t make it onto the pitch.
Kyle Walker played the full 90 minutes at the Bernabeu, but this season the 32-year-old full-back has started just 18 league games.
Guardiola explained selection decisions
When asked if Walker is a good example for other players who aren’t playing as much as they would like, Guardiola sent a message to those sat on his substitutes bench.
“They have to [be ready to come into the team when needed]”, he said.
“Why should they not be ready, it doesn’t matter whether you play or not. They are here, being taken care of really really well, but when the team needs him, be ready.
“Kyle has always been there. He knows in parts of the season the reason why he didn’t play. We spoke together many times and he knows the reasons why – just tactical decisions, no more than that.
“Of course he is a key, really important player for us. But sometimes we need a type of player for that position, and sometimes we need him specifically. That is the only reason why [he doesn’t always play].
“There is not – for any of the players – a problem: ‘ah I don’t like you’, or something like that. No.
“Sometimes I need more defenders, sometimes we need better build-ups. Sometimes I need specific things for a specific [game].
“[In the] FA Cup semi-final I played Sergio [Gomez]. Sergio didn’t play much [this season] In that position [left-back] we needed a player that plays in that position, for the way that Sheffield [United] defend.
“Most of the time it’s related to these kinds of situations. I’m very pleased that all the time Kyle is ready.”
