That's just silly, simplistic fan talk. If you are Pep you have to juggle a set of issues at any one time. First of all you have to win games and win trophies. Then you've got to ease players back from injury. Or get them to play their way into form. You've got players who might have been knocking on your door in the summer asking for reassurances of more game time. You've got players in the last year of their contract. You've got to think about players who will be needed several game sin advance due to other injuries. And of course you've got to develop and please kids.
Pep has managed this impossible balance perfectly. Sticking Phil in yesterday would have been the highlight of his career. Of course he would want more game time but it is nowhere near as simple as that.
Yep I get that but you’ve got to keep them all happy, if we definitely don’t replace Merlin and Foden gets his spot all good and well, bring someone in and it could cause problems. With Sane going maybe not so much but again replace him and that’s another person to rotate.Squad game. Look at the rotation between the Bernabeu and Wembley. I thought City might rest 3/4 players from midweek and so it proved.
A bonus for the games ahead.
Given you say currently. I will start you with David Silva. And in games where we don’t need as strong a spine also Gundagon. I would also argue he has often looked better than Bernardo this season although Bernardo has taken a dip from last season when he was close to PoY (not helped by him being better in the middle and playing on the wing). KDB clearly looks better but who else is significantly better than him in midfield this season?Who is Foden currently better than in our current best midfield/wingers?
Yes. Sancho turned down the contract he was offered the summer that Pep tried to sign Sanchez for £60m but Arsenal refused.
If you think that the club publicly going after a £60m player in his position didn't affect Sancho's decision then I've got some tartan paint to sell you etc.
What impressed me about Foden was his control, only Mahrez can bring a ball down better than him. If he can slot into a muddle 3 next year it will be great but where does that leave Bernardo
His attitude was also questioned by the club. He was nowhere near the first team. Rabbie Matondo was similar and decided to go elsewhere. It happens. Braaf may well be next as he has no loyalty to City and his temperament has been questioned.
Sancho turned out to be one that got away. He wasn’t a certainty to excel at Dortmund, but has.
Given you say currently. I will start you with David Silva. And in games where we don’t need as strong a spine also Gundagon. I would also argue he has often looked better than Bernardo this season although Bernardo has taken a dip from last season when he was close to PoY (not helped by him being better in the middle and playing on the wing). KDB clearly looks better but who else is significantly better than him in midfield this season?
Yesterday was the best performance by someone in that RW slot for weeks, so arguably any of them.
But that's also a bullshit argument because how can any player make a case for being better when he only plays once a month and the others get games every week?
The club offered him a 5 year, 30k/week deal, the biggest contract they've ever offered to a youth player, and 50% more than he got at Dortmund, so they clearly didn't have a problem with his attitude until he decided to leave.
It's not at all. Tell me what the consequences would have been of playing Foden in some league games since January? We might be....second instead of our current position of...second.
You haven't got a clue if Pep has managed this perfectly, and nor do I, but I do know that the logic you're trying to use is fatally flawed, because obviously if you hold someone back for ages past the point you should, they'll be ready when they finally get a game.