Manchester City Boss Pep Guardiola Springs Surprise With Team Selection For Premier League Opener

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola sprung a surprise on the opening day of the Premier League season by failing to name either John Stones or Ruben Dias in his starting XI.

The Treble winners travel to Turf Moor on the first Friday night of the season as they look to hit the ground running in their defence of their Premier League title.

Dias and Stones Left Out of Starting Lineup

Dias and Stones were sensational during last season’s running, with the latter playing as a midfielder for the latter weeks of the campaign.

But there was no place for either player at Turf Moor, with Guardiola selecting Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis and Manuel Akanji in an apparent back four.

But Guardiola allayed fears that the pair could be set for a lengthy lay-off, as he revealed Stones has suffered an abductor injury and Dias has concussion.

Stones and Dias Out With Injury

‘In training the other day, John [Stones] made a pass to Dias, he went too early in his run, said Guardiola.

‘Ruben has a tough concussion and the protocol of the Premier League says you need seven days off and that’s why he’s not here today.’

Guardiola Talks About Treble Success

Speaking to Sky Sports before kick-off, Guardiola said his team have to start afresh following their Treble success last term.

‘We climbed the highest mountain [with the Treble],’ said Guardiola.

‘We’re at the bottom. There’s a lot of stones and difficulties. It [trebles] happens rarely in the history of football.

‘We cannot forget who we are. The opponents want to beat us. We have to defend our crown in the best way possible being who we are.

‘If another team beat us it’s part of football, congratulations. But we’ll try to do it being ourselves.

Winning four Carabao Cups in a row was because we were so humble in every game.’

Conclusion

Manchester City’s team selection for their Premier League opener against Burnley came as a surprise to many, as both John Stones and Ruben Dias were left out of the starting lineup. However, Pep Guardiola allayed fears that the pair could be set for a lengthy lay-off, revealing that Stones has suffered an abductor injury and Dias has concussion. The team will now look to start afresh following their Treble success last term, and will hope to defend their crown in the best way possible.

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