Pep Guardiola has insisted he does not regret his decision to omit both Fernandinho and Rodri from his starting line-up for Manchester City's 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the Champions League final. The surprise tactical move saw Ilkay Gundogan deployed as a deeper midfielder, with an attacking trio of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez chosen ahead of the two natural holding players.
Speaking after the match in Porto, the City boss explained that he opted for 'quality players' in an attempt to find speed and brilliance between the lines. 'Gundogan played many years in this position,' Guardiola said. 'To have speed, to find the small players, the quality, the brilliant players, inside, in the middle and between the lines. This was the decision.'
The selection backfired as Kai Havertz's first-half goal gave Chelsea a deserved lead, and City struggled to create clear chances against a well-organised Blues defence. Guardiola was asked if he regretted his call, replying: 'I don't know – the decisions I made, the players did everything to try to win the game.'
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admitted he was taken aback by the line-up. 'I expected Fernandinho in the line-up. He chose a very offensive, technical line-up, very hard to steal the ball and recover the ball,' Tuchel said. 'Everything else we pretty much expected.'
