Manchester City suffered their first Champions League defeat of the season on Tuesday night against Sporting CP.
Despite taking an early lead through Phil Foden, City went on to lose 4-1, giving them their third consecutive defeat across all competitions for the first time since 2018.
After the match, Guardiola said in his post-match interview that his players didn’t keep their emotions in check and admitted he wasn’t pleased that they conceded the third and fourth goals.
This defeat has since led to one pundit and former City player sharing his thoughts on the game, specifically about one particular decision Guardiola made in terms of his team selection on this occasion.
- Champions League 2024/25: New changes, league phase draw details, who Man City will face, full schedule
Micah Richards questions Jahmai Simpson-Pusey inclusion in Man City vs Sporting
Reflecting on City’s midweek defeat in a recent episode of The Rest Is Football, Richards shared his thoughts on Guardiola’s decision to include Jahmai Simpson-Pusey in the starting XI and what happened on the pitch as a result.
He said: “I know people will talk about Man City at a young player playing in Simpson-Pusey and he was really well thought of and he’s going to take this game like this is one for him where he’s not ready for the level.
“It wasn’t a fact of that, it was a fact that he was left exposed on numerous occasions.
“And yes, in Champions League football, you get punished because it’s the highest level. But I just thought he had no protection. I didn’t think it was fair.
“With City at the moment, they’re too disjointed in all areas from the attack to midfield, from midfield to defence.
“Previously, they wouldn’t be punished for some of these errors. Now they’re getting punished.”
Guardiola was very impressed with Simpson-Pusey
Across the 90 minutes, even though the Blues had 73% possession and 20 attempts at goal, Sporting had more big chances (6) than the away side (2), highlighting how vulnerable City were on the night defensively.
Contrary to Richards’ assessment, Guardiola praised Simpson-Pusey for his efforts against Sporting, saying this about him and Rico Lewis after the match.
He said: “The young lad [Simpson-Pusey] played incredible. Rico as well. When you play a lot of games, you can’t play with the same line-up or the same back-four.”
Despite the disappointing scoreline, the 19-year-old made two clearances, one interception, blocked one shot and won four of the five duels he was involved in.
So while Richards may be right in suggesting Simpson-Pusey had little protection defensively, the teenager showed how capable he is in terms of being a useful defensive figure individually.
Looking ahead to City’s Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion, it’ll be interesting to see if Guardiola decides to keep the centre-half in the team and gives him his Premier League debut.
