Pep Guardiola explains why he didn't bring Erling Haaland off the bench in Tottenham defeat
Erling Haaland remained rooted to the bench despite Manchester City narrowly going out of the Carabao Cup at Tottenham with Pep Guardiola choosing not to use his striker
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorPep Guardiola insists he stuck to his plan by not playing Erling Haaland in their defeat at Tottenham - claiming it would've been a "waste of energy".
The Norwegian remained on the bench as the Premier League champions exited the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night. They were beaten 2-1 in north London and chose not to bring on their prolific marksman as they sought an equaliser in the second-half.
Haaland scored City's winner at the weekend and is expected to return to the starting XI when they face Bournemouth on Saturday. Guardiola was adamant that his striker needed more recovery and bringing him on at Tottenham would've hampered that.
He said: "The plan was not to play today. We have not had much recovery and it was a waste of energy."
Guardiola was dealt more fitness issues whilst in the capital. Manuel Akanji picked up an issue in the warm-up and Ruben Dias had to come off at half-time. The biggest concern was for Savinho, who needed to be taken off on a stretcher just after the hour mark.
The City boss said: "It is what it is. It is normal. The limit of the players is there. We will see tomorrow [on Savinho's injury]. Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker, no chance to play the next games."
Guardiola's side are top of the Premier League as they look to land a fifth consecutive top flight success. The Catalan though insists the injury situation at the Etihad has never been so bad, claiming they have just 13 fit players as the absentees continue to stack up.
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"We have 13 players, we are in real difficulties," he said. "The guys that play, they finish most of them with problems and we'll see how they recover. I think we are in trouble, because in nine years we've never been in the situation with so many injuries. The players make a step forward, more together than ever, and we will try to do this week in this short time of recovery."
City are missing some of their most crucial individuals as the games continue to come thick and fast. Rodri ruptured his ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. Kevin De Bruyne also finds himself nursing an injury and Guardiola admits he doesn't know when he'll welcome back the Belgian.
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