Sergio Aguero criticised Pep Guardiola’s decision to leave Julian Alvarez on the bench during Manchester City’s draw against Real Madrid.
- City held to a 1-1 draw by Madrid
- Alvarez was left as an unused substitute
- Aguero hits out at Guardiola for his tactics
WHAT HAPPENED? Long-range efforts from Vinicius Jr. and Kevin de Bruyne saw Manchester City and Real Madrid share the spoils in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening. The two teams did not give an inch to each other and Guardiola didn’t make a single substitution to try and alter the course of the game. The Spanish manager was not short of attacking resources as he had the likes of Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Alvarez available on the bench. This led Aguero to question the tactics of Guardiola as he was surprised to see his Argentine compatriot being left as an unused substitute after impressing in recent games.
WHAT THEY SAID: “What I don’t understand is why he didn’t put (on) Julian. I wonder, but well it’s Pep. If it was up to me I would play Julian in almost every game because we need him to be active and for him to have a spark,” the former City striker said while speaking on the AlbicelesteTalk podcast.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Alvarez has scored 15 goals across all competitions for City this season despite playing second fiddle to Erling Haaland. His goal against Fulham, which turned out to be the eventual winner in a slender 2-1 victory over the Cottagers could prove to be pivotal as City are chasing a historic treble.
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Getty Images
WHAT NEXT? Alvarez might get an opportunity to start against Everton over the weekend should Guardiola look to rotate his squad ahead of the crucial Champions League second leg against Real Madrid on May 17.
