Pep Guardiola explains why key Man City duo dropped vs Aston Villa | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has dropped Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne from the Man City starting lineup for their Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

Both players started in the 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United on Sunday, but have been named on the bench for Saturday’s trip to Villa Park.

The Catalan coach explained that the reason for benching the pair is tactical and not just to rotate his squad. “For the way we have to play I decided this line-up – simple as that,” he told TNT Sports.

Ederson is not fit to face Villa, but Guardiola has been boosted by the return of John Stones and Manuel Akanji, who both start in the centre of defence following the news that Ruben Dias has been sidelined by injury.

Read – Man City injury blow ahead of Aston Villa trip

“They trained two or three times, they are important players for us,” he said. “Ederson is not here, he does not feel good.”

Man City have won just one of their last 11 games in all competitions, a run that is threatening to derail their season.

“The solution is winning games,” Guardiola said. “A top match and try to do our patterns – we really believe and we will try to play better every game.”

Man City won 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium the last time these two sides met back in April, but Unai Emery did mastermind a 1-0 victory in this fixture over a year ago last season.

“They have an incredible team,” Guardiola said of the Midlands outfit. “When I was at Barcelona he was at Valencia and he’s an excellent manager – he won three Europa Leagues in a row. He changed Aston Villa and he’s an exceptional manager.”

Read – Pep Guardiola calls for perspective on Man City struggles

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