“Same mistake against Chelsea in the CL final”, “Pep is starting with his rubbish” - Fans spot problem with Manchester City line-up for FA Cup final
Manchester City supporters on social media have shared their dissatisfaction with Pep Guardiola's choice for today's FA Cup final match against Crystal Palace. The main issue is the lack of a proper defensive midfielder in the lineup.
Guardiola's team includes Stefan Ortega between the sticks as goalie, with Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Nico O'Reilly forming the defense. Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne form the midfield anchor, while Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, and Savinho forming the supply line to forward Erling Haaland.
Rodri, City's typical defensive midfield anchor, is out due to injury. Mateo Kovacic is also unavailable, so the team lacks a traditional holding midfielder. The tactical decision has left eyebrows raised among fans, one of who remembered the 2021 Champions League final. A similar strategy was used in the absence of a defensive midfielder, but it saw them lose 1-0 to Chelsea.
Manchester City fans are worried about the team's midfield balance persists, and their concerns are valid. The tie is especially thorny with Crystal Palace known for their ruthlessness on the counter. This could benefit from City's porous midfield formation at Wembley. The fans shared comments like these:
"No DM. The same mistake against Chelsea in the CL FINAL that made us lose" this fan complained.
"Where is the DM???" another fan demanded from Pep Guardiola.
"So we play this without holding midfielder? Why did pep buy Nico?" a third could not understand.
"This brings 2021 CL final flashbacks. No CDM, just Pep raw dogging life with some ballsy tactics." another fan remembered the 2021 Champions League final.
"What kind of line up is this now, no defensive midfielder at all. Pep is starting with his rubbish." this supporter added.
"No kovacic No Nico, I remember the time we lost champions league final against Chelsea,he Benched Rodri" another remarked.
Pep Guardiola insists FA Cup is priority for Manchester City
Pep Guardiola poured cold water over the suggestion that the FA Cup was not a priority for Manchester City this term. On the contrary, he was keen to point out the need to win the competition as they play Crystal Palace in today's final at Wembley.
This has been a grueling season for Manchester City, where they have fallen out of form in the Premier League and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League. The FA Cup might be just one trophy in their haul over recent years, but Guardiola is adamant that victory remains a key aspiration. He said (via ESPN):
"That is the problem, the FA Cup now is not the first choice. Not anything is enough. Of course we want it. Now we are here, we want to lift the trophy. We are disappointed with our performances this season but I'm pretty sure we will perform well and compete against them [Palace].
"It's definitely important. You have to be there and you have to win previous games and we have done it many times in years."
The victor will claim the coveted FA Cup but also qualify for the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League. If Manchester City win, they will also qualify for next season's Community Shield, where they will play Premier League title winners Liverpool.
