Pep Guardiola will choose Zack Steffen for Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea because the manager would rather lose the tie than “lose the team” by not keeping faith with his regular goalkeeper for domestic cups.
City remain on course for an unprecedented quadruple after Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund sealed passage to the Champions League semi-finals. Ederson is Guardiola’s No 1 but the manager is adamant Steffen will play at Wembley, indicating that his players might otherwise lose trust in him.
“He’ll start – always I’ve done it like this,” Guardiola said. “Maybe we are going to win or we are going to lose but if Zack doesn’t play I’m going to lose the team and it is better to lose a game than lose the team.
“He played really well in the FA Cup, he’s a keeper from the national team of the USA, and when he plays he plays at a good level. He is a lovely guy who is training good and he deserves to play. I’m more than delighted to give him the chance.”
Guardiola is unconcerned that the 26-year-old is not as good with his feet as Ederson. “He can do it,” he said. “He has the personality, he has composure. No one in the world is like Eddie with the quality of his feet – in the short, in the long [game]; nobody.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“I don’t want Zack to do what Eddie does. He has to do what he can: try to save the balls. We are going to try and help him by conceding as few chances as possible, and after that [let’s hope he can] do a good game. We trust him a lot and that’s why he’s here.”
Quick Guide
Football fans to return at Wembley
Leicester v Southampton
Four thousand spectators will attend Sunday’s Southampton v Leicester FA Cup semi-final, all socially distanced in clumps of two. It will be the first time in 2021 that fans will be allowed to watch a football match in this country, as part of a test event to “managing and mitigate transmission risk”.
Tickets were made available via ballot to Brent council, NHS and care staff, teachers and local residents. All attendees must return at least one negative lateral flow Covid-19 test in the 24 hours before the game, and must take a PCR home test after the event. Saturday’s semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester City remains behind closed doors.
Carabao Cup final
The capacity for next Sunday’s game doubles to 8,000 – 4,000 as above, plus 2,000 fans each from Tottenham and Manchester City, who have to sign consent forms and take a number of tests. Fans under 18 cannot attend, and neither can fans in clinically vulnerable categories. Level Playing Field – a charity that campaigns for equal access for disabled fans – called the decision “very disappointing”.
The FA Cup final and beyond
It is planned for 21,000 fans to attend the FA Cup final on 15 May, with all grounds open for at least 25% capacity by 17 May. England’s Euro 2020 group matches at Wembley will have 22,500 fans, with the aim of doubling that to 45,000 for the semi-finals and final. The Premier League hopes to have up to 10,000 home fans at the final two rounds of games this season. The current government roadmap lifts all mixing restrictions on 21 June.
Phil Foden was again outstanding against Dortmund, scoring City’s second as the 20-year-old did in the opening leg. But Guardiola warned him to retain focus.
“He is young and he has to show it again every day on the grass. Phil is playing really well and receiving a lot of compliments but when he believes what he’s done is enough he will make a big mistake. I prefer to help Phil in this moment and at that age because he has to learn a lot. He will have very difficult moments in his career, and the best way to deal with these is always to focus on the green [pitch].”
The form of Foden and Riyad Mahrez has meant reduced playing time for Raheem Sterling recently. “He was maybe the second or third player for minutes this season so the trust with Raheem is intact,” Guardiola said.