Guardiola explained why De Bruyne and Sane were on the bench

With the defeat of Manchester City, all accusatory eyes were on Pep Guardiola. He decided on the eleven which started at the new Tottenham stadium and he was the one who made the changes. When asked about it in the press room of the brand new Spurs stadium, Guardiola justified his line-up, but did not respond to the second question, the double change in the 89th minute, with the game almost over because nobody thought it was relevant enough to ask the coach. 

"I decided to play with two holding midfielders in that position to be more solids. I chose other players, I know it is difficult for De Bruyne, he said, on being asked about his line-up and the absence from of one of his players with most talent and vision of play, Kevin De Bruyne from the starting XI.

Another of the men absent was Bernardo Silva, but he did not want to risk him after he had just recovered from an injury. "I hope to be able to play Bernardo next week," he said about him. 

The absence of Leroy Sane was not asked and Guardiola did not mention him in his press conference. Like De Bruyne he was a substitute and like the Belgian, joined the action when the game was in its closing stages. In the 89th minute to be precise.

It would have been a logical substitution had it been carried out earlier. For example, just after Son's goal. But no, Guardiola waited another 11 minutes to use up his changes (Gabriel Jesus had come on for Aguero in the 71st minute). 

We will always be left with the doubt as to why Guardiola did not bring them on until the 89th minute. Was the Catalan too slow to think of what to do? Was it a type of punishment for two of his best players? Or was it for another reason? Did Guardiola, seeing how the game was not going his way not want to show his hand before the second leg at home?

Although Tottenham know City well, right now they do not have a fresh memory of Sane playing against them on the wing or of De Bruyne organising the attacking play. 

The entry of both men revitalised City, but Tottenham could not learn much from it because their opponent had basically thrown people forward desperately trying to equalise. 90 minutes is a long time in football and maybe Guardiola has accepted a below par performance in the first leg to be able to catch out their opponent in the second leg and turn the tie around against Mauricio Pochettino's men.