Why Rico Lewis was substituted at half-time in Manchester City’s win over Wolves

Pep Guardiola has revealed why he opted to substitute Rico Lewis at half-time of the eventual 3-0 win over Wolves on Sunday afternoon.

The 18 year-old full-back started yet again for Manchester City against Wolves, following a string of impressive performances in an inverted full-back role in recent weeks.

While the first-half ended with City holding a slender 1-0 lead over Julen Lopetegui’s side, the performance as a whole was much more commanding than their previous outing against Spurs – a game that saw the away side lead 0-2 at the interval.

Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola made one change more than he did last time around, with Rico Lewis making way for Nathan Ake, as the Dutchman moved into the left-back role, allowing for John Stones to shift across into right-back.

Some presumed it may be due to an injury sustained by the impressive teenager, but Pep Guardiola was keen to remove such presumptions during post-match media duties. “No, no, no (injuries to Rico Lewis). I wanted to change to more solidity,” said the City boss.

“I thought Adama (Traore) could play again, I thought Nathan (Ake) could control him better than anyone else. And Rico (Lewis) has to know that playing every two or three days at that age is not easy.”

Continuing on Lewis, Guardiola explained, “He has to use his body to adapt himself. He was marking him a lot because Hwang Hee-chan was close to him. It (the substitution) was just to put more physical presence in that position.”

Pep Guardiola continued by discussing City’s ability to secure a clean sheet, despite increased pressure from Wolves in the second 45 minutes, and highlighted his belief in his managerial counterpart at Molineux to have success in his new post.

“In the second-half, we conceded (chances) a little bit more because they pushed us a lot and made high pressing, they didn’t sit back, they showed courage,” said Guardiola. “I know Julen (Lopetegui) really well, and I know he is going to do a fantastic job (at Wolves).”

Manchester City now have several days off before they return to action, with their next game coming in the fourth round of the Emirates FA Cup, as Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to the Etihad Stadium on Friday night.