Just for a moment there, we thought we had Pep worked out.
After meticulously studying his selections, we were beginning to gain confidence that his days of meddling with our Gameweek tallies were over. We were almost complacent.
The tide of goals and points produced by his Manchester City side were more than a little seductive. But they were a siren song, tempting us to sail towards the rocky outlines of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, only to be shipwrecked by Guardiola’s teamsheet.
We always knew that Sergio Aguero was pivotal to his selection today. Many expected the start for the Argentine, but the smart money was on both Sterling and, to a lesser extent, Jesus be alongside him.
Between them, that pair had picked up 673,000 new owners who, this evening, have just a single point to show for their investment.
More significantly, some 586,000 or 11.3%, had the armband with Jesus. That included 36 of the top 100 managers heading into Gameweek 9 – the top choice among that leading pack.
Meanwhile, others had him as their vice-captain with Sterling – who was a total no-show – as their primary skipper. A double-blow.
It appears that Guardiola was biding his time, welcoming us in and reassuring us, before hitting us with a sucker punch.
So now we have to regroup, assess the damage and attempt to decode this latest situation with new data.
There were perhaps two factors at play.
For one, City faced their toughest test so far in the Champions League against Napoli in midweek.
Secondly, maybe there was a desire to give Aguero the opportunity of a start at the Etihad with the club scoring record in his sights.
In the end, he scored the goal to equal Eric Brook’s record and, interestingly, Guardiola again acknowledged post-match the importance of achieving this milestone quickly.
“Sergio has not played for three weeks and it takes time to get that little bit of rhythm back. He needs to play minutes, he did it today and maybe on Tuesday again. It was important for him to equal the record as soon as possible. When he breaks it, it will be something special.”
That would hint that Aguero will get another run-out on home turf against Wolves in the EFL Cup – the chance to break the record in front of his own supporters, rather than at The Hawthorns in Gameweek 10. Perhaps.
We can only really speculate. But what is of more concern is that, with a second tie with Napoli to arrive after the West Brom clash, we have to presume that Guardiola will have this in mind.
City sit clear on top of their group; they can afford to drop points but, after 11 successive victories in all competitions, Guardiola will not want to scupper the current momentum.
With Aguero, Jesus and Sterling – along with Bernando Silva and Leroy Sane – once described as his “five strikers”, just how will Pep now approach matters?
Previously convinced that his “central strikers” – Aguero and Jesus – would be paired together, are we now to accept that Guardiola has broken from this pattern? And if so, can we really ride with that?
Tonight Aguero is already the most bought player ahead of Gameweek 10. Meanwhile, Jesus ranks second for sales.
However, there is every chance that Aguero will be saved for Napoli while Jesus starts against the Baggies in Gameweek 10.
While we can study his selection patterns further and make assumptions, we seem unlikely to crack Guardiola’s code.
If we are to invest in City’s attack, we have to accept the anxiety and disappointment witnessed today, else perhaps settle for David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne who, to this point, seem immune to the tinkerings.
It’s becoming a fascinating sub-plot to a season that continues to test and tease.
6 years, 6 months agoA) Mee & Coutinho
B) Dunk & Salah
Which one?