Pep Guardiola has made a decision with one game left in the ‘War of the Stars’. He left Kyle Walker out of the starting lineup, a first-team defender. It may have been a shocking choice for Walker, but he was more than happy to celebrate with his teammates after the win.
Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1-0 on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 final at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday (Nov. 11). With the victory, Manchester City secured the coveted big prize and the first treble in the club’s history.
After the midway point of the first half, Holland and Kevin De Bruyne increased the frequency of mid-range shots. But in the 30th minute, Der Bruyne limped off with an injury, and Guardiola brought on Phil Foden to replace him.
It was Manchester City who took the lead. In the 23rd minute, Rodriguez’s right-footed shot rattled the net to give City the lead. Inter Milan pushed harder, and just before the end of the half, Lukaku had a crucial shot saved by Ederson. Holding on to their lead into extra time, Manchester City beat Inter Milan to go top of Europe. After scoring the winner, Rodriguez was named UEFA’s best player of the tournament.
Guardiola left Walker out of the starting lineup. He opted for a back three of Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji. Walker has played 2,764 minutes for Manchester City in all competitions this season, but he was left out of the starting lineup for the all-important final 메이저사이트.
The reaction locally was similar. Rio Ferdinand tweeted, “Walker was a big part of how Manchester City got here. I think his blood is boiling,” said Rio Ferdinand. “It was a tough decision,” said Guardiola, “we needed different types of players for attack and defense,” he added.
Walker came off the bench to be replaced by John Stones with eight minutes remaining in regulation time.
While he was disappointed with Guardiola’s choice, he was more than happy to hold the trophy in his hands. In the locker room after the game, he was all smiles with his teammates, including Elling Holland. “How are you feeling right now?” he asked his teammates, to which they replied, “It’s just a treble.”