Guardiola invites fans to come down to the pitch to help make a substitution
At the Etihad Stadium on August 19, Man City was absent from many pillars when Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones were injured and Bernardo Silva was ill. They also face a tight schedule with their fourth game in two weeks, after the English Super Cup defeat to Arsenal, defeating Burnley in the opening round of the English Premier League and defeating Sevilla in the penalty shootout of the European Super Cup match.
Even so, Guardiola did not make a substitution, while his colleague Eddie Howe took advantage of all five substitutions. For the first time, the Spanish coach has not made a substitution in an English Premier League match since May 2022.
When a fan sitting near the technical area shouted for a substitution, Guardiola immediately turned around and asked him to sit down. After the game, the 52-year-old coach revealed that he even invited this fan to come down to the field to do the task for him.
"That fan asked me to change, one to come out and one to come in. I asked again who should be replaced, because I don't know," said Guardiola. "So I told him 'Come down here and change for me'. At that time, I saw that Man City was playing well, fighting for every ball and sometimes the people entering the field were difficult to follow. The coaches will decide. decide whether to change or not."
Despite these controversies, Guardiola still walked around the field with his students and applauded the fans after the game. "I want to do it in every home game. I like it very much," the Spanish coach expressed. "It's gratitude to the fans. They came to the pitch to meet us, and we shared the moment together. Everything was great."
Man City experienced a difficult game, when controlling the ball 60%, finishing 14 times with four shots on target - compared to 7 and 1 for Newcastle. The difference was made in the 31st minute, when Phil Foden provided an assist for 2022 World Cup champion Julian Alvarez to shoot into the top corner, scoring the only goal.
This result helps Man City extend the winning streak at home against Newcastle to 15 matches - a record against an opponent in the Premier League, They also increase another record in the tournament, which is a streak of 30 consecutive goals scored against a team. opponent, also Newcastle. Guardiola was surprised by the spirit and determination of Man City, despite the tight schedule and injuries, and saw this as the key to helping the team win many glory over the years.
This victory also helped Man City set another record in the club's history, the longest winning streak at home (17 matches). Man City have twice established a streak of 16 victories in history, with the first time in the 1920-1921 season under Ernest Mangnall and the second time last year, from April to November 2022.
Man City's current 17-match winning streak at the Etihad Stadium extends from the 4-0 win over Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup on January 8. It includes 11 Premier League games, three FA Cups, three Champions League knockout wins over RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. During that time, Man City scored 55 goals and conceded only seven times.
In the third round of the English Premier League on August 27, Guardiola's teachers and students were guests of Sheffield United.
