Pep Guardiola has explained why he dropped Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku from the Man City starting lineup to face Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Premier League champions got their campaign back on track with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, the first win in eight matches in all competitions.
With table-topping Liverpool’s trip to Everton postponed due to safety concerns, Guardiola’s side can close the gap to six points with a win at Selhurst Park.
“We will do our best,” he said ahead of kickoff. “All the seasons are like this and we have to adapt as quick as possible with a good mentality.”
Grealish and Doku impressed against Forest during the week, but Guardiola has dropped both men to the bench in favour of Savinho and Matheus Nunes. The Catalan tactician explained that the pair are both dealing with minor injury issues.
Asked what Savinho and Nunes bring to the team, Guardiola replied: “Energy. Fresh energy.
“Jack [Grealish] yesterday has some struggles. Jeremy [Doku] came back after three or four weeks with a muscular injury. Three days it was too much risk. Fresh legs, energy and let’s go.”
Guardiola made four changes in total to his starting lineup, with Rico Lewis and captain Kyle Walker also coming back into the side.
Phil Foden is still out with illness, while John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri and Oscar Bobb are also unavailable.
