Why the maths behind Manchester City’s controversial weekend doesn’t add up to much

The likes of Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville should think before trying to initiate an unnecessary uproar

SOME people scale mountains. Others stare at molehills and hope that they grow.
On Saturday the latter camp were in their element. This was their moment and judging by the furious tweets and tut-tut-tutting, they were determined to relish every second of it.
If you lived a life this weekend and missed the huge scandal, then strap yourself in and prepare for the very worst: against Burnley at Turf Moor in a lunch-time kick-off Manchester City only selected six substitutes.
Not the standard, imperial weight seven, the number that’s been a mainstay of British football since ye olden times of 2008. A disrespectful six. Pep Guardiola may as well have stuck a middle finger up to Greg Dyke, Rupert Murdoch and all of the other great men who are sculpted onto the Premier League’s Mount Rushmore.
Gary Neville called the decision ‘a joke’. Social media exploded in indignation. Steven Gerrard said there was ‘no excuse’.
Well, there were a couple of excuses to be fair Stevie, if we could possibly step away from the molehill.
Let’s start with Gabriel Jesus, David Silva, Phil Foden, Benjamin Mendy, Fabian Delph, Leroy Sane, John Stones, and Lukas Nmecha who were all injured or unavailable. There is sufficient quantity and quality there to heavily deplete any squad. Then there was the pesky fact that the under 23s played the night before at Swansea and a mere couple of hours prior to City taking on the Clarets, the group of youngsters were scheduled to take part in a warm-down at the Etihad campus.
There were also wider considerations. And while there is undeniable logic in filling the available spot with a promising kid and giving him a glimpse of what lies ahead, that is balanced out by parachuting Lorenzo Gonzalez or Rabbi Matondi in there like some kind of competition winner. The message to City’s youth is now crystal clear: don’t rely on the misfortune of others to make your mark. You have to earn it. As a principled academy coach at Liverpool, that is surely a sentiment that Steven Gerrard can get behind.
Furthermore, it is safe to assume that the young contenders who might have shared the bench with Yaya Toure and new singing Aymeric Laporte all have representation. These agents simply wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t knock on a few doors post-game and point out the discrepancy in their player’s wages now that they are a fully signed up member of the first team squad. As for the player himself - who could very well be the most diligent and grounded individual on City’s books - it can only be surmised what affect such a significant upgrade might have on his self-regard. Would his work-rate and hunger tail off by a couple of per cent because, to an extent, he has now ‘made it’? You don’t mess with a player’s development on a whim. You don’t mess with a player’s meticulously planned out development to avoid inconsequential flak from Roger Angry of Twittershire. Again, you feel that this is something Gerrard could get on board with.
At its heart though, this much ado about nothing wasn’t really about selecting one substitute less than is permitted. Not really. It was more concerning the regurgitation of a hoary old stereotype, coupled with the trivial but pertinent point of when the game was being played.
The cliché is that there is a glass ceiling between Manchester City’s academy and the first team. This is odd given that there were three players aged 21 and under on their bench this weekend, two of whom came through the ranks. Had Phil Foden been fit that number would have been an impressive four. By comparison, when Liverpool took on Spurs at Anfield yesterday their match-day squad of 18 had only two players under the age of 21, only one of whom came through the ranks.
For the third and final time, we return to Gerrard to enquire whether his moral indignation might be better served closer to home.
Diverting our gaze to the bigger picture reveals a myriad of City youngsters who could have conceivably been the seventh sub at Burnley but, due to the club’s unique model, find themselves on loan gaining invaluable experience elsewhere. On Sunday Thierry Ambrose scored for NAC Breda against Ajax. His team-mates in the Johann Cruyff Arena included two further City loanees - talented left-back Angelino and Manu Garcia. The latter was voted into January’s Eredivisie Team of the Month.
In the Championship, highly rated Jacob Davenport made his Burton Albion debut, impressing to such an extent that manager Nigel Clough praised him to the heavens in his post-match interview, while at Ipswich, Bersant Cellina has so far made 16 appearances in the second tier, recently scoring a gif-tastic wondergoal.
Over in Spain meanwhile, Pablo Maffeo and Aleix Garcia continue to impress for Girona, experiencing the character-testing environs of the Bernabeu and Camp Nou into the bargain.
A minority of none can legitimately claim that a token ninety minutes on a Premier League bench, bantering through a snood to Yaya is more beneficial than any of that.
As for the timing of the brouhaha, an acknowledgement is long overdue on just how many weekend controversies stem from Saturday lunchtime fixtures. This surely cannot be coincidental. By flaring up at such an early juncture, it is allowed to permeate throughout the whole course of the weekend, while additionally offering up a talking point to fans on their way to games across the country. Had only six subs been selected for a three o’clock game, the subsequent ire would have had to compete with Strictly and the ordering in of a takeaway or preparing for a night out.
Ultimately, however it all comes down to misdirection; a cheap pot-shot aimed at a club that has risen above the everyday criticism warranted of their underachieving rivals. Because, make no mistake about it, City were exceptional on Saturday. At times their movement, and particularly their passing, was at a level rarely witnessed on domestic soil and the fact that Burnley nullified such a performance to a draw only illustrates how magnificent they were also. That was the real story: some incredible football being played out for our indulgence. What a shame then that most of the attention fell on an unoccupied plastic seat because, as the French philosopher Jean de La Bruyere once said: “The pleasure of criticising takes away from us the pleasure of being moved by some very fine things”.
No matter. That is their loss and as Pep Guardiola and his team scale the heady heights of ambition and hear below them the faint cries of the easily outraged as they scuff over molehills and stamp their feet, City can be forgiven for rolling their eyes and concentrating instead on the high altitude.

Stephen Tudor

Is it a rule that a team has to name 7 substitutes?

If not, no explanation has to be given by the manager as to why said 7 subs aren't named. He could simply just say "just fancied going with 6 today" and no-one should be able to question his decision.

No rule, otherwise we'd be fined for it.

If we're gonna win the league against the rags, why not name just 5 subs and Pep can show his hairy arse in the post match presser saying we don't need 7 subs against such sub-standard opposition.

The academy played the day before right? It would just be making up numbers for the sake of it. peoeple seem to forget that the kids are getting a lot of play time this seasone e.g Zinchenko

name 7 academy kids on the bench against the rags.

If we've got the league wrapped up, I can see Foden and/or Diaz starting a few games. That still wouldn't shut anyone up as they'll complain that not was only for dead rubbers.

Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em all.

Just play the academy team against the rags, if it's won. Now that, would be funny as FUCK!!

Be even funnier if they beat them.

obviously keep kev, dave and ederson in the bench