"Play your strongest team!" - John Terry takes aim at Pep Guardiola after Manchester City's FA Cup defeat to Liverpool
Former Chelsea defender John Terry has slammed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after his side's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.
The Spanish manager opted to rest several of his key players against the Reds at Wembley Stadium in London. Terry believes that cost the Cityzens the game as Liverpool secured their place in the final with a 3-2 victory.
The Chelsea legend took to Twitter to point his finger at Guardiola for rotating his best players in such a game. The 41-year-old tweeted:
"That is why you don’t rest or rotate your best players. Play your best and strongest team!"
Guardiola surprised many with his team selection on Saturday as left several big names on the bench.
Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Ederson were all rested by the Manchester City boss.
That is why you don’t rest or rotate your best players.
Play your best and strongest team! 🧤
What was further surprising to see was that the Spaniard made only one substitution during the game despite his team trailing. Only Mahrez was introduced from the bench in place of Gabriel Jesus and played a big role in the second goal for the Cityzens.
Manchester City's treble dreams are now over while Liverpool continue to chase an unprecedented quadraple.
Guardiola's team selection clearly indicates that he is prioritizing the Premier League and the Champions League. The Cityzens had a draining midweek game against Atletico Madrid in midweek in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. They somehow managed to play out a goalless draw against the Spanish club to progress via a 1-0 scoreline on aggregate.
That could be the reason why the former Barcelona manager did not risk his star players against Liverpool.
The Reds were given an early lead by Ibrahima Konate, who headed in from an Andrew Robertson corner.
Sadio Mane tripled the lead with his first-half brace but the game had a nervy finish provided by two second-half strikes from City. Incidentally, Zack Steffen, who replaced Ederson in the game, made the mistake for Mane to score his first goal of the game.
Manchester City look favorites for both Champions League and Premier League
Pep Guardiola will now channel everything he has to ensure that his side finishes the season with a double.
With a one-point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, the Sky Blues remain favorites to retain their domestic title.
Jurgen Klopp is the first manager to beat Pep Guardiola ten times 👑 https://t.co/Q6LuxEhklq
Jurgen Klopp's side also have some big games remaining while Guardiola's side have an easier run of fixtures. The Reds face Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in their next seven games.
City lost the Champions League final last season to Chelsea and will definitely be giving everything in their locker to win it this campaign.
Liverpool and Manchester City could potentially lock horns with each other in the final in Paris. However, they will have to get past Villareal and Real Madrid respectively.