Manchester City: Sergio Aguero demotion not wrong call by Pep Guardiola

Sergio Aguero was dropped for Manchester City’s 4-0 Champions League defeat against Barcelona. A call Pep Guardiola did not get wrong.

Manchester City fell to defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Nou Camp. The call by Pep Guardiola to drop Sergio Aguero to the bench was always going to be a headline grabber, regardless of the final result.

A 4-0 loss highlights the decision even more so. However, the decision Guardiola took was not a wrong one. It’s easy in hindsight to think otherwise, but the intentions and reasoning remain strong.

Guardiola commented ahead of kick off that Aguero was indeed benched for tactical reasons. Who knows if that is a cover up or not. But given the opening 17 minutes of the contest, it was easy to understand Guardiola’s thinking. Only a slip by Fernandinho gave Barcelona the opening goal.

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Prior to that, the City camp would have been overjoyed with how the game was going. Guardiola’s tactics were working. Barcelona were struggling to play through City’s high press and the Citizens were also getting into dangerous positions to hurt the home team themselves.

The incredible Barcelona attack looked pretty toothless. The opening goal egged the Spaniards on, but Guardiola’s team still restricted them until the second half when Claudio Bravo surged out of his goal, misplaced a pass to an opposition attacker, and then handled the ball outside of his penalty box.

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A deserved red card followed. The game changed unequivocally from that point on. The task became impossible. But whilst City had 11 men, they more than held their own against the Spanish giants.

Outside of two isolated, individual moments, Guardiola’s tactics worked. 100 percent. Those tactics included benching Sergio Aguero and playing Kevin De Bruyne as a false 9. Tactically, Guardiola got it right. He can’t account for individual errors or a player slipping in the penalty box.

Now, that is if Aguero was indeed benched for tactical reasons. Guardiola has spoken in the past about Aguero needing to do more to help the team. The strikers goal tally is exceptional – 11 goals in ten games in all competitions this season.

But Guardiola is all about the team and everybody being team players who are rounded and all looking to supply for each other. Sergio Aguero looks out for Sergio Aguero. Which is no criticism. It’s what most strikers do.

That greed and selfishness is why they score the goals they score. But Guardiola is no ordinary coach. He often goes against the grain. Against common consensus. He wants 11 rounded players in his team who all work and interchange fluidly.

Maybe Aguero is still not doing what Guardiola wants of him yet. If that is the case, then benching him is also the right move. Guardiola is known for improving individual players and Aguero can be even better under the Spaniard at City.

If this is what Guardiola needs to do to get through to the striker, then so be it. Aguero also played poorly midweek for Argentina. Missing yet another penalty in the process. Guardiola may have sought to bring the 28-year-old out of the spotlight before confidence became an issue.

There are a number of possible reasons for Aguero being benched, in addition to the one Guardiola offered up, and they are all valid. The season is bigger than one game. The long-term development of the team is paramount right now.

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Given how the game in the Nou Camp went, the decision to drop Aguero was not the wrong call. Was it the right call? You can’t go that far until Guardiola’s reasoning is known for sure.

But from what is known, there’s really no need to interrogate the City boss on his demotion of the Argentine striker.