Pep Guardiola drops Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden selection hint ahead of FA Cup final

Guardiola: Marmoush’s rate for minutes played is really good

Asked about the selection puzzle posed by Marmoush and Foden, Guardiola was candid about the difficulty of finding minutes for both players while acknowledging their recent impact.

“Yeah especially Omar – it’s not easy because normally we play with just one striker, a proper striker – and Erling is there,” Guardiola said in a press conference after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Brentford.

“Erling is so important for us but the contribution of Omar always when he plays, the amount of goals, and the rate for minutes played is really good.”

The reference to Marmoush’s goal contribution rate is a telling one. The Egyptian international, albeit having not played regularly this term, has consistently produced when called upon since joining City, with a return that comfortably justifies a more prominent role in the coming weeks.

The challenge for Guardiola is finding a way to accommodate Marmoush alongside Haaland in a system built around the Norwegian’s unique strengths as a central striker.

Foden, meanwhile, has been the subject of considerable attention following Guardiola’s extended and personal tribute to the England international in his pre-Brentford press conference.

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The Manchester City manager drew a parallel with Bernardo Silva‘s difficult third season – the 2019-20 campaign – at the Etihad Stadium and insisted Foden will “explode again” once he rediscovers his joy of playing.

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On the importance of those coming off the bench and the rotation required to sustain City’s push across four remaining fixtures, Guardiola added: “Top! I know it’s not easy for them, but I’m pretty sure in the next games they’re going to play.

“I’m going to rotate otherwise we cannot arrive finals or Bournemouth. We’ll see the result (of West Ham vs Arsenal, which eventually finished 0-1) and after, we’ll take decisions.”

The reference to the FA Cup final against Chelsea and the trip to Bournemouth in the same breath underlines the scale of what City are managing across the final fortnight of the season.

Rotation is not a luxury at this stage, it is a necessity and Guardiola has never been shy about using his full squad when the demands of a congested fixture list require it.

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City’s domestic treble pursuit now hinges on sustaining a level of performance and intensity across four games in the space of two weeks that would test even the deepest squads in European football.

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The Carabao Cup is already secured, the FA Cup final against Chelsea awaits at Wembley this weekend and the Premier League title race remains alive by the narrowest of margins.

It is in that context that the contributions of players like Marmoush, Foden and Mateo Kovacic, all of whom have made telling impacts from the bench in recent weeks, could prove decisive.

Kovacic’s brilliant assist for Haaland in last week’s 3-3 draw at Everton was a reminder that the decisive moments of a season are rarely confined to the starting XI.

Guardiola’s squad know their roles and on the evidence of Saturday’s win over Brentford, they are ready to play them.