Guardiola has his priorities right for Manchester City this season

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No need for concern for Manchester City despite loss in EFL Cup.

Both Manchester clubs came into their EFL Cup clash in a poor run of form. Manchester City were without a win in their last five games in all competitions and Manchester United were coming off a 4-0 thrashing against Chelsea and had not won any of their three previous league games. Team selection for this Manchester derby was always going to attract interest because of these facts.

Jose Mourinho went for the tried and tested method of picking players who have made a number of appearances this season. While Pep Guardiola chose to play a mainly second string side with some key players left on the bench. The end result was a win for United which sees them progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.

If you look at bare facts, things do not look great for City. They did not manage a shot on target for the full 90 minutes, which is the first time they have registered that unwanted statistic in four years. The winless run has now extended to six games which is the longest length of time that Guardiola has gone without a victory in his managerial career. If City go another league game without recording a victory, it will be their longest winless run since 2004.

Despite these unflattering statistics, Guardiola did the right thing in playing a weakened squad last night. It is understandable that fans may want to see their heroes play at every opportunity especially against their city rivals, but these days it is all about the bigger picture.

Despite not winning in their last three league games, they still sit in first place in the table and second in their Champions League group. They would have deeply regretted the decision to play a stronger squad only to lose a couple of key players through injury. Although traditionalists will disagree, the EFL Cup is clearly a competition that effectively ranks last in clubs’ priorities nowadays, especially for those teams playing in European competition.

In their next couple of games, City face opponents with completely contrasting styles in West Bromwich Albion and Barcelona.

They will have to be very patient to carve open opportunities against the Baggies who will undoubtedly have 10 men behind the ball, but they certainly have the talent on paper to break them down. Meanwhile against Barcelona, they will be looking for revenge and respect after being humbled at the Nou Camp a couple of weeks ago. These are the type of games that Guardiola should and ultimately will be judged on and why the Spaniard has the right intentions for his club for this season and beyond.