Pep Guardiola Breaks Silence on His Team Selection After Champions League Final Heartbreak

- Pep Guardiola insisted he chose his best squad for the Champions League final

- The Spaniard earned some criticism for not starting an experienced holding midfielder against Chelsea on Saturday, May 29

- Chelsea took full advantage of City’s lack of command in midfield through their maestro N’Golo Kante

- The Man City boss defended his team selection, saying he believed in the quality of his players

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Pep Guardiola insists he “chose the best squad” for the Champions League final despite losing out to Chelsea on Saturday, May 29.

One of the key surprises when the line ups were announced was the absence of captain Fernandinho and holding midfielder Rodri.

Instead, Guardiola opted for more attack-minded midfielders like Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva at the centre of the park.

Speaking after the game, the Spaniard was in pragmatic mood as he tried to make sense of his team selection.

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"I did the best in the selection.” He started.

"Against Lyon [in 2020] like it was against PSG, Dortmund, I tried the selection the best to win the game. The players know it, I think Ilkay Gundogan played good, we were exceptional."

Chelsea took full advantage of City’s setup which clearly lacked any cover in midfield, with Mason-Mount’s defence-splitting pass for Kai Havertz’s goal summing up the better team in terms of selection.

When asked if he had any regrets on his team selection at the Estádio do Dragão, Guardiola instead opted to praise Chelsea.

"I don't know - the decisions I made, the players did everything to try to win the game." He said.

Tuchel’s approach was rather ‘humble’ as he started six players traditionally thought to be defensive-minded, with Havertz, Mason Mount and Timo Werner tasked with attacks on the counter.

Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Chelsea have emerged winners of this season's UEFA Champions League after a 1-0 win over English rivals Manchester City at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal.

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Kai Havertz' lone strike in the 42nd minute was all Thomas Tuchel's side needed to be crowned champions of the tournament in style.

France international N'Golo Kante has been hailed by fans around the world after helping Chelsea to win the Champions League on Saturday night, May 29.

N'Golo Kante won last night's Man of the match after winning it twice in both semifinals against Real Madrid.

Fans on social media have continued to praise him for his outstanding performance against Man City.