Pep Guardiola explained why he handed Claudio Echeverri his Manchester City debut in the Fa Cup final in a quirky response.
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Echeverri made his City debut in the FA Cup finalGuardiola explained why he brought in the young ArgentineCrystal Palace beat Man City 1-0Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
City's miseries continued in the 2024-25 campaign as they went down 1-0 against Crystal Palace in their second FA Cup final in a row on Saturday. Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the match to hand the Eagles their first-ever major trophy.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
In the 76th minute of the match, as the Cityzens were still trailing, Guardiola brought in 19-year-old Argentine sensation Echeverri in place of Omar Marmoush. This was the first time that the teenager appeared for City since formally joining the club in January this year.
WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID
When asked in the post-match press conference why Guardiola brought in a rookie player in an important final, the City boss said: "My inspiration? I'm a talented manager. I want to be honest, it was not a bad decision."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?
The former English champions will now aim to finish among the top five teams in the Premier League and secure a Champions League slot. They will next face Bournemouth on Tuesday before meeting Fulham on the final matchday on May 25.