Pep Guardiola’s Man City Plan B for Carabao Cup fixture vs Newcastle isn’t as simple as it sounds

Pep Guardiola said he will call on the academy to increase squad numbers for Manchester City’s Carabao Cup match at Newcastle.

Pep Guardiola has joked that he might even want to feature in Manchester City’s trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, but will likely look to the Carabao Cup Academy.

City will be permanently without Rodri (suspended), Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva (both injured), while John Stones is unlikely to return from injury, and Mateo Kovacic will only have three days of training Practice after failure. Likewise, Jack Grealish returned on Saturday as a late substitute but may not be ready to play.

Next, Guardiola suggested that Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias would be rested due to their recent workload, which suggests someone like Erling Haaland – who almost missed 11 minutes of action for Man City so far this season – could also be suitable for this position. one night off. The only problem is that there are no clear academy players ready to step up like in previous seasons.

There are enough substitutes to make a competitive starting lineup, assuming Stefan Ortega, Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Sergio Gomez and Kalvin Phillips can be involved. Julian Alvarez could get the nod after playing effectively. The number 10 arrived late, while the returns of Kovacic and Grealish should help. Jeremy Doku was sacrificed following Rodri’s red card against Nottingham Forest and will therefore probably be a bit more fit than the others.

Oscar Bobb is also hoping to make his official debut for Man City after being promoted to the first team this summer.In a Carabao Cup third round clash, whoever the opponents are, their name should be written on it and the Academy Player of the Year could come on from the right wing to help the rest Deserved rest.

Apart from Bobb, however, there are no standout young players ready to take over after the summer sale saw Carlos Borges, Shea Charles and Dire Mebude leave permanently – and James McAtee follow suit loan form.

That leaves a younger elite development squad, with the Under-21s having their own big game on Tuesday to complicate the fixture list. After defeating Grimsby on penalties in their EFL Cup opener, the youngsters travel to League One side Barnsley for their toughest task of the group stage.

Brian Barry-Murphy will need the best players available – although if Guardiola calls him on, he will have to adapt.The Under-21s have recovered from a poor start and will be looking to assert themselves against a team that was 90 minutes away from winning the title last season.

Of the current generation, Joel Ndala trained with the senior team on Sunday, while Will Dickson, Max Alleyne and Justin Oboavwoduo are also admired by Guardiola’s staff and have trained with the first team during the season this prize. However, this alone does not indicate first team prospects, as young players may simply be needed for tactical work or to build numbers.

In previous years, the likes of McAtee, Tommy Doyle, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and others were ready to step up, and when Guardiola needed a group of academy players in the Carabao Cup match against Wycombe two seasons ago , there were a number of players option. The nature of this year’s EDS squad means they are younger and less advanced in their development, leaving Guardiola with fewer options.

And while a senior call-up would be a huge moment for any young player, would 90 minutes at Barnsley have been a better experience in terms of development?

It is a decision City’s managers will have to make this week, with the starting line-up at Oakwell on Tuesday likely to dictate which players could be called up for Newcastle on tomorrow.

As for Bobb, he has been promoted and will be looking to seize the big opportunity of what could be a first senior start.