Man City star Jack Grealish
Man City star Jack Grealish
FIFA have issued a vague directive to clubs that they must take their 'strongest' squad to the USA for the Club World Cup this summer. Pep Guardiola reacted angrily to that idea, telling the governing body that nobody will tell him who to select.
What defines a 'strongest' squad anyway, he asked? And given Manchester City's struggles this season to maintain any semblance of form or fitness, what does Guardiola's strongest XI look like?
City have been open about the need to rebuild their squad this summer given the age of it and inability of too many players to stay free of injuries. Guardiola has favoured a younger group in recent outings with mixed results and performances.
He will want to continue to test out different systems and personnel in the final nine games of the season while doing what he can to secure a top four finish (and, he will hope, an FA Cup). There is also a Club World Cup campaign to navigate and some players to come back - Rodri, for example, could be back for the tournament in the USA.
But there is more to fight for before that, and individual players have their own futures to fight for. So what does Guardiola's strongest side look like when City return from the international break?
Simon Bajkowski
Oh boy - what a different question this is this season. I'm going to be controversial from the start and pick Jack Grealish; he hasn't played anywhere near enough games and that has to be telling of how he is seen, but when he has started this year he has made a difference - including against Real Madrid.
That probably forces Jeremy Doku out. The Belgian is a terrific dribbler but Savinho has the edge on him on the right, even if his finishing isn't as good on that side.
Erling Haaland obviously starts, and behind him Omar Marmoush has been in better form than Phil Foden or Kevin De Bruyne. You lose some midfield presence by playing Marmoush, but the other two just haven't been offering enough when they've started.
Behind them, Nico Gonzalez obviously starts and alongside him I'd pick Ilkay Gundogan. That isn't going to be popular either and Gundogan hasn't been good, but he is more likely than Mateo Kovacic or Bernardo Silva to find Marmoush or Haaland - his best game was probably Newcastle at home last month, which was City's best performance for a while.
Behind them, Rico Lewis edges out Matheus Nunes in a low-quality competition alongside the other three fit defenders. I would like to see more of Nico O'Reilly though wherever it may be.
Pick your strongest City team here:
Pick your strongest City team for the remainder of the season here, or select an XI with everybody fit that could go to the Club World Cup in June.
Joe Bray
The defence picks itself while Stones, Ake and Akanji are out. Rico Lewis has had an up-and-down season but remains a better right-back than Matheus Nunes, who still is not a defender despite the many attempts to try him there.
Nico Gonzalez is clearly the direction City want to pursue and while he can play at number six he's actually looked better a little more forward - where he will play when Rodri returns. So while Mateo Kovacic isn't perfect, he could be tasked with simply patrolling the number six area to allow Gonzalez and one other midfielder to be more creative.
Guardiola has preferred Savinho and Jeremy Doku in recent games and has called them the 'future'. I'd be tempted to mix things up and put Phil Foden on the wing in an attempt to play his way back into form and he should have a better end-product than Doku.
The final place at number ten would go to Kevin De Bruyne when he's at his best, but he hasn't been this season. Bernardo Silva could shore up the midfield, but City have looked better recently when Omar Marmoush has played and he has scored some useful goals. The Marmoush and Erling Haaland combination is the most in-form and promising one to pursue so that should be Guardiola's first-choice at number ten, and he can also rotate with Foden.
Tyrone Marshall
There doesn't seem to be much chance of seeing Ake, Akanji or Stones soon, so three-quarters of the defence is pretty obvious. Khusanov, Dias and Gvardiol have to be regulars. The difficult selection is at right-back. Lewis has had a really difficult time of it and I would try and protect him where possible now. Nunes isn't a right-back, but he has had some bright moments there and I'd persist with that experiment for now.
Gonzalez isn't yet the perfect Rodri replacement and his best performances have come with the leash taken off. Fielding him next to Kovacic could work and allow the Spaniard the cover he needs to play his best football. That would also allow Guardiola to start Marmoush behind Haaland in a more attacking formation.
The difficulty of this task is the number of City players out of form. Marmoush has to start but it means no place for De Bruyne. Bernardo and Foden haven't really done enough either. I would go for the youth of Savinho and Doku out wide. Leaving Foden out is the most difficult decision now. Haaland has to lead the attack.