"No [we aren't playing a weaker team]. We rest but this is the best team," Pep Guardiola said ahead of Manchester City's Champions League group stage game against Borussia Dortmund. It simply wasn't true as Jack Grealish was named in it.
This isn't to disparage Grealish, who is obviously a top player, but there are better players in his position at the club and if he's playing ahead of them it is naturally a weaker team. Even if that weaker team remains great, it's still weaker. And City weren't great on Wednesday night.
City managed to overcome a really tricky opponent and grind out a 2-1 win on a night in which they were once again below par. 'You'll Never Walk Alone' strangely played over the tannoy pre-match thanks to a Heineken advert, but it appeared to herald the sort of European comeback that Anfield has become synonymous with. City were poor for large chunks of the match and only began to turn things around when they were restored to their strongest team.
