Manchester City won 2-1 against Watford in the third round of the Carabao Cup and maintained their winning streak. Pep Guardiola rested some of the key players in his lineup-such as Haaland and Ederson-in a bid to balance the performance of the squad after a schedule that was back-to-back. Even so, dominance prevailed for City, and they managed to secure a round of 16 spot. One step further into a season that is promising many pitfalls but also some neat solutions by the manager.
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Dominance despite absences
And Guardiola-who is known to change lineups every now and then, according to the depth of his squad-didn't fail this time, either. Without many of the star names on the lineup card, City controlled Watford for large spells of the first half. Young Belgian striker Jeremy Doku scored just four minutes in, capitalizing on a poor defensive error from Watford. It was a typical City move: high press, rapid win-back of possession, and clinical finishing.
And that wasn't the end of the action. At 37 minutes, a second goal came via Matheus Nunes, thanks to an excellent assist by Rico Lewis, proving that the younger men are very ready when called upon. It was the first goal for the midfielder, who joined the club recently; this firmiliated his place in the pitch, always proving to be relied on by Pep whenever an injury problem faces him.
Confidence was oozing from the team, and even with one or two errors and the late goal by Ince for Watford, there was never any doubt about City's victory. It just goes further to illustrate the depth of this squad, as Pep manages to rotate and maintain quality.
The challenge of overcoming Rodri's injury
But not everything goes in flow for Manchester City. Rodri's knee injury-a torn ACL against Arsenal, so say international reports-has seen some concerned faces. "No matter how long it takes, we have to find solutions," Guardiola made it clear. Rodri is irreplaceable-as the coach himself admitted-but the faith is there that the team will keep on competing at the highest level.
Without Rodri, this is a big headache because he has been the mainstay of these successful recent seasons for City. He has also played an important role in the few Premier League titles and other major honors. Guardiola is understandably worried, but his confidence in the squad to continue winning trophies is equally evident.
Rodri is irreplaceable, but we'll find a solution," said Guardiola in an interview after the win against Watford. This optimism, though realistic, speaks volumes of the winning mentality instilled by Guardiola in this lot. Injuries aside, he knows he has reasons to believe in a well-prepared squad that has overcome adversities in the past.