Pep Guardiola says it was impossible not to hand Rico Lewis his first Premier League start at Leeds after his 'man of the match' performance vs Liverpool.
Lewis, 18, was impressive in a dual role of right-back and inverted midfielder against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup before Christmas, although his inclusion then was more due to the late returns of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo from the World Cup, with the expectation both would return for City against Leeds on Wednesday night.
However, Lewis retained his place after Guardiola declared his performance against Liverpool as 'Man of the Match'-worthy, and both Walker and Cancelo remained on the bench at Elland Road.
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Explaining the decision to give Lewis his first league start, Guardiola referred to the youngster's previous performance, saying it would be impossible to play better than that.
"The way he played against Liverpool, would be unfair not to let him play again," Guardiola told Amazon Prime.
"Almost impossible to play better than him. He's 18 years old, there will be mistakes. But I had the feeling he has to play again. We need Kyle and Joao as soon as possible. In that moment I see he's in a perfect position to play."
City go into the game having slipped eight points behind leaders Arsenal, owing to the Gunners' Boxing Day win over West Ham, and Guardiola is under no illusion of the challenge that faces his side.
He said: "Leeds away, history speaks for itself. Intense team, know exactly what they have to do. Jesse [Marsch] was in Salzburg, then Leipzig. Tough team, get results with top sides. Now all the clubs after the World Cup see their position.
"I had the feeling that if Arsenal play the way they have been playing all season, just lose one game, draw another, they have to be there. The other side, when you have been four Premier Leagues in five years, it's normal in this position, being on top. It will be impossible to maintain this position.
"The reality is eight points is a lot, we have two games in hand. We know exactly if we want to be there we have to win games otherwise will not be possible to catch them.
"Some stadiums are more special than other ones, Newcastle for example, here [Elland Road]. It depends how is the game, if they make transitions we will have to feel it and be calm. If we have more what we wanted, maybe they will be more calm. I'm pretty sure there will be moments we have to suffer and be cold here, accept they are good."
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