Pep Guardiola will be over the moon after his Manchester City side won 2-0 against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final.
Eyebrows would have been raised amongst the Manchester City faithful once they laid eyes on Guardiola’s line-up — with Rico Lewis starting in midfield, Jack Grealish being deployed on the flank and both Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne earning places on the bench.
But the Catalan tactician is one of the most successful managers in the history of the game for a reason, with his team selection working to a tee.
Pep Guardiola lauded Mateo Kovacic’s display against Nottingham Forest as he was arguably the standout player on the pitch — as the two-time treble-winner took the risk of playing him instead of either Gundogan or even Nico Gonzalez as his number six.
Rico Lewis opened the scoring with a wonderful goal as well after Kovacic found him with a delightful pass in between the lines — another Manchester City player who repaid Guardiola’s trust against Nottingham Forest.
Pep Guardiola calls Rico Lewis “extraordinary” after Nottingham Forest vs Man City
Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Lewis after he shone in Manchester City’s midfield against Nottingham Forest.
Guardiola made a point to highlight how Lewis is one of the best players he has ever seen in tight pockets of space after Manchester City’s deserved victory against Nottingham Forest as well.
The City boss told ITV Sport: “The action [for the first goal] was really good. Rico moves in the pockets like very few players, he’s very good in the small players.”
“He’s an extraordinary player. He’s so strong and so clever. We have to keep the ball because if you allow a lot of transitions it will be difficult.”
Rico Lewis stats for Man City vs Nottingham Forest in FA Cup semi-final
Lewis would be grateful to Pep Guardiola for giving him a chance to start in a Manchester City shirt as they clashed against Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final that was their biggest game of the season.
However, Guardiola believes Lewis is extremely versatile and as a result, the six-time Premier League winner tasked him to play in an advanced midfield role.
Lewis stepped up to the task against Forest, as the stats show.
| RICO LEWIS STATS VS NOTTINGHAM FOREST | |
| GOALS | 1 |
| ACCURATE PASSES | 36/40 (90%) |
| CHANCES CREATED | 1 |
| PASSES INTO THE FINAL THIRD | 4 |
Aside from scoring the opener as well, the Bury-born technician was a class apart.
Lewis misplaced just four of his 40 passes, playing four of them in the final and created one chance as well.
The Manchester City wonderkid has starred in midfield in the past and to have Pep Guardiola’s trust at just 20 to be thrown into the deep end is reflective of his talent and character.
