Guardiola pays the price for "thinking too much" again

Whenever Guardiola thinks too much, Manchester City fans will be worried. The same is true in the 2024/25 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. In this key game, Guardiola's old habit of "thinking too much" broke out again, leading to a series of tactical decisions that lacked wise.

Guardiola "thinks too much" to Manchester City's FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace

From the arrangement of the FA Cup final to the unspecified penalty kicker, Guardiola's key decisions made in this game where Manchester City unexpectedly lost to Crystal Palace was counterproductive. This is exactly the key to this game, just like Crystal Palace’s usual trick: Guardiola’s familiar drama of “thinking too much” is staged again, and Manchester City naturally lost the game.

Compared with the game where Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 5-2 in April this year, Guardiola made a significant adjustment to the squad, with only three players in the same position as that game, namely Nico O'Reilly, Ruben Dias and Guvadior. Most notable is that he pulled the positions of De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva very deeply to ensure the team's possession, but the two failed to complete the defensive task well.

Such a platoon has made Manchester City fans instantly recall 2021. When he was against Chelsea in the Champions League final, Guardiola decided not to use any defensive midfielders in the starting lineup, with Fernandinho and Rodri sitting on the bench. Another surprise was that Sterling, who lost the starting position, was arranged by Guardiola to start in this game.

Guardiola made a mistake: let the players decide the penalty shooter on the court at their own expenses

In addition, as Jean-Philip Mattha returns from injury, Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner knows that the team has had an excellent opportunity. Crystal Palace has recently caused a lot of trouble for Manchester City with its fast and direct defensive counterattack tactics, and this tactic has worked again in this game. After all, in the last 6 encounters between the two sides, Crystal Palace has scored 5 goals in Manchester City and scored 2 goals each time. And it was this defensive counterattack that brought a winning goal to the London team.

So, why is Guardiola so hesitant about the choice of a penalty kicker? Haaland failed in three penalty shots this season, and he has not scored in any finals at Manchester City, but he is still a favorite to take the penalty. However, in the 36th minute, Omar Marmush missed the penalty kick taken. Guardiola has always liked to control the overall situation, but at this critical moment, he was extremely passive and allowed the players to decide who would take the penalty kick on the court.

This is not the "only strange thing". The use of Savigno (not yet scored in England domestic events this season), Jeremy Doku (only scored against Ipswich and Salford this season) and Claudio Echeveri, these decisions have all sparked controversy. The first two choices have surprised fans, and letting Echeveri complete his debut in a final where the team was behind was simply "Guardiola's 'thinking too much'". Guardiola made a mistake in the selection of the offensive lineup, which was exactly the same as when he played against Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final, which sent a 19-year-old player who had never even entered the bench to make his debut in the final. Such a move is extremely bold and is either regarded as a genius or a crazy move. Echevery missed the opportunity when he shot from a position close to Dean Henderson twice, which is enough to prove that Guardiola's choice is crazy.

In addition to the sensory factor, there may be a hint of arrogance, so what is the logic behind it? This decision shows how Grelish has in the team? The 29-year-old is almost certain to leave Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2025. The whistle sounded at the end of the game, and Guardiola and Henderson had a fierce quarrel. It may be Henderson who triggered the conflict, and Guardiola's reaction was understandable, but in any case, it showed that he was under tremendous pressure. This pressure may not reach its peak like Manchester City drew with Feyenoord, but it is by no means a coach who can calmly deal with his role. Just like his fierce reaction at the post-match press conference.

Pressure caused Guardiola to argue with Henderson

After Guardiola missed the championship in his first season in coaching Manchester City - the first time since he coached Manchester City in 2016/17 - the outside world will undoubtedly begin (and perhaps the first time) to question his future abilities. It is extremely rare for coaches like Guardiola to succeed for 16 consecutive years, but all coaches will inevitably experience a decline in their state at some point.

Obviously, Manchester City's problems this season are not all about Guardiola. Given Rodri's absence and some puzzling signing operations, he is certainly not the source of the team's problems. However, Guardiola must work hard to lead Manchester City back to the top of its former glory. Of course, no one can be sure whether he has enough energy to build another great team at Etihad Stadium.