Alright so here’s how I tried to piece together City’s probable lineup for the Ipswich match the other day, purely based on past games and what I reckon Pep usually does against newly promoted sides. Just sat at my desk flipping between my notes app and the Premier League website.
First thing I did? Looked at the last few games against similar teams. Remembered Wolves away last season and how we pretty much steamrolled them. Had my coffee and opened this messy spreadsheet I keep tracking Pep’s rotations.
Who’s Definitely Getting the Nod?
Straight away figured Ederson in goal was a dead cert. Zero reason to change that unless he got injured eating his breakfast. Then checked the defense. Walker? Yeah, his experience against fast breaks is solid. Stones and Dias? Rock solid pairing lately, hard to see Pep splitting them up for this. The left-back slot gave me pause. Remembered Cancelo played most cup games but Guardiola seems to trust Ake more in the league lately, so pencilled him in first.
The Midfield Puzzle
This part always does my head in. Rodri was basically glued onto my team sheet immediately – he owns that holding role. Then it got fuzzy. Against tougher sides Pep doubles up, but for Ipswich at home? Could see him going full attacking mode. Foden’s been buzzing around like mad lately, and De Bruyne… well, duh. He’d start if he had one leg. Bernardo Silva’s been working like a donkey though, so slotted him in too. Almost forgot Grealish on the wing – needed his dribbling to unlock a packed defense.
Up Front and Those Last Minute Changes
Striker was trickier. Alvarez’s pressing is nuts, but Haaland eats newly promoted teams for lunch. Stuck with the big man upfront – felt like a no-brainer even if he had a quiet game last week. Kept Alvarez on the bench ’cause his energy off the bench wrecks tired legs.
Then hit me – what about Pep’s famous tinkering? Stared at Ake’s name. Switched him to the bench for Cancelo at the last second ’cause Pep loves his overlapping runs against deep blocks. Also hesitated over Mahrez but figured Palmer’s unpredictability could be a better weapon late on.
Here’s the mess I ended up scribbling down:
- GK: Ederson (No brainer)
- DEF: Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo (Changed my mind twice)
- MID: Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva (The usual spine)
- FWD: Foden, Haaland, Grealish (Attacking overload)
SUBS THOUGHTS: Ortega, Ake, Laporte, Alvarez, Gundogan, Palmer, Mahrez
Betting Pep will have them high up the pitch pressing like demons, with Cancelo practically playing midfield. Expect a lot of possession near their box trying to pull them apart. Counter-attacks through Walker and Foden could be dangerous though if Ipswich get brave late on. Honestly? Feels like a 4-1 win coming. Haaland’s got goals against these teams in his back pocket.
We’ll see how many I actually got right when the team sheet drops. Never know with that bald genius, he might cook up something wild. But this felt logical based on how he usually does things. Just my two cents watching City all season.
