Pep Guardiola makes subtle change that speaks volumes for Man City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has taken a different approach to his substitutes this season

Manchester City are back! Or, rather, more back than they were.

There have been valid reasons for not going overboard with City wins in the calendar year, with their form such a struggle. They may have eked out a consistency that enabled them to qualify for the Champions League and reach the FA Cup final, but it was clear that problems remained.

Corners that looked to have been turned against Juventus in the Club World Cup and Wolves in the Premier League quickly looked like dead ends against Al Hilal, Tottenham, and Brighton. Beating United in the derby felt good and Napoli should go down as an excellent win, even conceding a late equaliser at Arsenal - where they lost 5-1 last season - should not take the gloss off what has been consecutive steps forward for Pep Guardiola.

At the very least though, it appears that City's manager feels he has more players that he can rely on now. In the six matches this season, win or lose, Guardiola has used 28 of a possible 30 substitutions.

The Brighton and United games were the two fixtures where he only made four changes but otherwise a full five were brought off the bench in the course of the 90 minutes.

This appears to be a change from what Guardiola used to do, and is a marked upturn on last year. However, looking a little closer into the season shows that even if this start has been unusually high City struggles last term can be told through their substitutes.

Guardiola made 31 of a possible 45 changes in the Premier League between the start of last season and October, averaging 3.4 changes a game. Between January and May, he made 70 out of a possible 95 to bring his average up to 3.7.

In the toughest months of the season though, the manager made just 29 out of a possible 50 changes in 10 games in November and December. With City's injury crisis at its worst, Guardiola not only struggled to fill his bench but did not have as many players that he felt he could bring on to make a difference.

Even if the results haven't quite reflected it, that is clearly different this season. Not just because City are looking to ensure they do not suffer a repeat of their injury issues - particularly after the Club World Cup - Guardiola is using more of his squad on a matchday significantly more than last season.

After playing the same starting XI for the last three matches, Guardiola will be looking to rotate most of his team when they head to Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup. And while he may be looking to give some stars a night off, there may still be room for plenty of substitutions on the night to keep everyone as fresh as they can be.

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