That tactics of Pep Guardiola have come under fire after Man City's breathless Champions League tie in Real Madrid.
Things stand at 1-1 after the first leg of the semi final, with City's confident start undone 36 minutes in when Vinicius Jnr blasted a stunning strike into the top corner from 25 yards out. Midway through the second half, though, an equally sublime long range effort from Kevin de Bruyne levelled matters, leaving things perfectly poised going into the second led at The Etihad next Wednesday.
But despite the intensity and pace of the contest, Guardiola opted not to make any subs over the 90 minutes. And that's despite the likes of Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez being poised to make an impact off the bench.
But it was Guardiola's failure to utilise another forward that saw him questioned by his former City striker Sergio Aguero. There was no role last night for World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, despite the Argentine star exerting a growing influence in recent games.
Europe's top prize was a trophy that eluded Aguero in the Argentine's otherwise legendary 10-year stint in Manchester. Indeed, his final appearance for City was in their 1-0 final defeat to Chelsea two years ago.
Speaking on the @AlbicelesteTalk podcast after the game, he argued leaving his compatriot on the sidelines was a missed opportunity: "What I don't understand is why he didn’t put (on) Julian," he said. "I wonder, but well it’s Pep. If it was up to me I would play Julian in almost every game because we need him to be an active and for him to have a spark.”
Despite being restricted to a bit-part role due to the form of Erling Haaland, Alvarez has scored 15 times in all competitions for City this season. And his winning goal at Fulham last last month could yet prove pivotal in the title race as Guardiola's side chase an historic treble.
The Spanish boss is now almost certain to rotate his starting XI for the trip to Everton on Sunday, just three days before his side host Real in the second leg. And whilst there was no mention of his ploy not to use subs in his post-match analysis, he was bullish about the prospect of a second leg on home soil.
"We were better when they scored, they were better when we scored," Guardiola told BT Sport. "It was a tight game. Real Madrid in the semi-final is always a tough one. We turned up, we had good moments, it's difficult with the quality they have on and off the ball. 1-1, final next Wednesday with our people."
