Pep Guardiola explains 'really tough' Man City team news decision vs West Ham
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained why he has chosen to pick Jeremy Doku ahead of Mateo Kovacic on the Premier League's final day.
The Blues are on the verge of history after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Tuesday night. If they beat West Ham United at the Etihad Stadium, they will win their fourth consecutive Premier League title - a feat no other side in England's top flight has ever managed.
Anything less than a victory will not be enough if second-place Arsenal manage to beat Everton at the Emirates Stadium. Ahead of the game, Guardiola has made two changes to his team.
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The first alteration was enforced as first-choice goalkeeper Ederson suffered a fractured eye socket during the win at Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. However, the second was tactical as Doku was introduced into the starting XI as City chose to switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation.
When asked to explain that call on Sky Sports, Guardiola said: "It was a really, really tough decision. Kova has been helping us with the rhythm to play.
"But I thought it would be a defensive position from West Ham. And his (Doku's) quality in smaller spaces and one-vs-one, that was absolutely the reason why."
The Hammers have nothing to play for going into the final day of the season but their full-back Aaron Cresswell has admitted that his former teammate Declan Rice has been on the phone asking them to do his new club Arsenal a favour. City will end their campaign next week against Manchester United in the FA Cup final.