In the Carabao Cup match against Newcastle on Wednesday, Manchester City suffered a 1-0 defeat, with Erling Haaland remaining on the bench.

Pep Guardiola clarified that he had no intention of fielding Erling Haaland against Newcastle, despite the loss in the Carabao Cup. Haaland was given a rest for the match at St James’ Park, along with team captains Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias. Even after Newcastle took the lead in the 51st minute, Haaland stayed on the bench.

Julian Alvarez, who struggled to maintain his early-season form while playing as the lone forward, was substituted in the second half for Phil Foden.

This decision left Manchester City without a recognized striker, but Guardiola resisted the urge to bring Haaland on for additional attacking power. He explained that he wanted to give his striker some rest after starting in every game so far this season, playing the full duration in all but one.

Guardiola elaborated on resting Haaland, saying, “I thought Kyle had played a lot of minutes, and Erling had played a lot of minutes. We have a busy schedule ahead of us. Perhaps in the last 10-15 minutes, we could have brought him on, but I chose not to do so.”

Despite the absence of Haaland, Guardiola emphasized that Manchester City has been consistently prolific in scoring goals, regardless of the personnel on the field. He acknowledged Newcastle’s strong defensive performance and the challenges it posed.

Guardiola stated, “We’ve scored many goals since I arrived here, using different types of strikers, wingers, and attacking midfielders. Newcastle is a top team, and they defended very well. It wasn’t easy, but we had opportunities to create the final pass or action, and that’s what I was looking for.”

Guardiola also defended his choice of lineup, stating that it aligned with his approach in the Carabao Cup over the years. He explained, “We decided on this lineup as we’ve always done in the Carabao Cup since I arrived. In the Carabao Cup, I typically use players who don’t regularly feature in the starting lineup.

If we progress, we’ll consider going all out to win it. At this stage, I don’t want to expend too much energy in this competition. Unfortunately, we have several injuries, so some of the players who played today don’t usually start. Manu Akanji, whom I would have liked to rest, had to play, but that has always been our approach.”