Ahead of Manchester City’s second-leg with Burton Albion in the League Cup semi-final, Pep Guardiola has provided his customary pre-match press conference.
Despite the Blues marauding in similar swashbuckling fashion to their record-breaking Premier League campaign, which saw them take their fifth English league title and the League Cup in a respectable Double, Guardiola was pressed on one particular player said to be in a malaise about not featuring regularly enough in the starting XI.
Nicolas Otamendi – a Man City player since 2015 – is expected to start at the Pirelli Stadium this Wednesday evening following on from his full 90 minutes against Huddersfield at the weekend.
The 30-year-old Argentine is said to be exasperated with a lack of game-time, particularly in contrast to his imperativeness in the previous season; Otamendi started in 33 of Man City’s 38 Premier League games in 2017/18.
In this campaign, he has started just eight, accumulating under 700 minutes of on-field league action. He has failed to come off the bench on 11 league occasions.
At the moment, the £57 million Aymeric Laporte is nigh on untouchable, arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League, with the £47.8million John Stones providing extremely able support for a enviable heart of defence pairing.
With such a heavy scoreline in the first-lef that sees the Cityzens progress to their second successive League Cup final in all but paper being granted a start in a seemingly innocuous game surely won’t pacify the centre-back.
“No, he’s not happy. I don’t have an answer,” Guardiola said (MEN).
“When he plays he’s happy, when he doesn’t play he’s not happy but not just Otamendi, everybody. All of them. I don’t know what I can do. Be honest with myself and with them, for sure. I am. Of course when he doesn’t play he’s not happy.”
“In the end with Nico, I know we can count on him at any time in any situation because he’s an incredible professional and always he’s ready.
“I’m delighted with him but I can understand him [wanting to play more]. I cannot say anything else.”
Otamendi is currently contracted at the club until the 2022, having signed a contract extension just over a year ago.