Even starting Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne wouldn't have helped Manchester City to a Carabao Cup win at Southampton, according to Pep Guardiola.
City were well-beaten at Southampton as a mixed team of fringe players and first-team regulars were disjointed from the start and failed to deal with the hosts' high press. After conceding two first-half goals, Guardiola looked to key men De Bruyne and Haaland, who he had named on the bench, for second-half changes.
De Bruyne was part of a half-time triple substitution, while Haaland followed ten minutes later, but neither could help the Blues get back into a game that saw Southampton deservedly march on into the semi-finals.
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Guardiola congratulated Saints at full-time, and said that even with De Bruyne or Haaland in the starting line=up, he felt that City were 'not ready' to compete to win the game.
"People say we didn't fight, it's not about that," the manager said. "It's because we were not prepared to get in this competition to play the semi-finals, we were not ready.
"Mainly these guys have done these years and three days ago vs Chelsea, we have to be prepared every single game when you play for Manchester City. Today we were not.
"Always I believe when you play for four competitions, now three competitions, I have the feeling that you have to have everyone and have to be prepared. If you don't play you have to have something with the body language to help the guys who play and are involved. Who knows with Erling or Kevin would be different.
"I don't know it. We try to do our best. We rotate the team, when we play Chelsea after the Premier League, we won and it was good, how nice is the decisions? I understand the decisions, try to make everyone involved what everyone has to do. Today was not the case.
"I have the feeling today it doesn't matter the line-up I put, today the performance happens [anyway]. Tell me why, this is my experience. Doesn't matter the line-up, it would happen. We were not here. That's why they deserve it.
"Two games in the season, Brentford and today, we don't deserve to win, the rest more than consistent the level we have. Today what we perform, it happens. We have to be ready to fight to deserve to win and today was not the case."
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