"He doesn’t favor anyone" - Sergio Aguero questions Pep Guardiola's decision as Manchester City attacker remains unused sub against Real Madrid

Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has questioned Pep Guardiola’s decision to not bring on Julian Alvarez in Tuesday’s (May 9) Champions League semi-final draw with Real Madrid.

Real Madrid and Manchester City went head-to-head in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday night. The Cityzens dominated the game in the opening exchanges but were pegged back by Vinicius Junior’s stunning outside-the-box strike in the 36th minute. Kevin De Bruyne responded with a wonder strike of his own in the 67th minute to deny Madrid a victory.

Curiously, Guardiola did not make even a single substitution over the course of the 1-1 draw, while his contemporary Carlo Ancelotti brought on three players. During his ESPN en Star + watch-along, Manchester City legend Aguero challenged Guardiola’s decision-making, claiming that the visitors could have used the dynamism of second-choice striker Alvarez.

“What I don't understand is why he didn't put [on] Julian,” said the former Argentina superstar.

“I wonder, but hey, it’s Pep. He doesn’t favour anyone. If it was up to me, I would play Julian in almost every game, because we need him to be active and for him to have a spark.”

Alvarez, who was a mainstay for Lionel Scaloni as Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has regularly made way for Erling Haaland at City. Out of the 27 Premier League matches he has played this season, he has only started in 10. Despite not getting enough minutes, he has pitched in with 15 goals and five assists in 44 games across competitions.

Haaland managed to touch the ball only 21 times against Real Madrid, the least by any outfield player to complete the game. With the Norwegian struggling to make his mark, Alvarez could have spruced up the game with his deft touches and clever movement.

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Pep Guardiola reveals how Real Madrid neutralized Manchester City ace Erling Haaland

Speaking to the press after the game, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola explained how Real Madrid kept Erling Haaland from threatening Thibaut Courtois’ goal more frequently. The Spanish tactician gave the credit to Antonio Rudiger, stating that the centre-back’s close marking stopped the Norwegian sharpshooter from stretching his legs.

He said (via Manchester Evening News):

“We have to see if we can defend a little bit better [in the second leg] in some departments and attack because [Toni] Rudiger was so close to Erling and it was not easy to find spaces for Erling but we will try to adjust something maybe in the second leg to be more fluid and play with a bit more rhythm because we play at home and at home we feel comfortable with our people.”

Haaland, who has scored a whopping 51 goals in 47 games in all competitions this season, lodged only two shots on target on Tuesday night. Both of his efforts were easily saved by Courtois.