Pep Guardiola defends Sergio Aguero's substitution reaction and admits leaving players out breaks his heart

Pep Guardiola has claimed Sergio Aguero’s reaction to being substituted against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was “normal”, while insisting his heart breaks when he is forced to leave players out of his Manchester City side.

Aguero was substituted in the 58th minute of City’s 4-1 victory, with Guardiola’s side only 1-0 up at the time. The Argentine striker showed he was unhappy with his manager’s decision by taking off a pair of gloves and throwing them to the pitch before he was replaced by Gabriel Jesus.

Guardiola has heavily rotated the pair of strikers throughout the season, having apparently decided against playing the two of them together. Aguero played the full 90 minutes of last Wednesday’s win at Swansea City but was an unused substitute during City’s Manchester derby the previous weekend.

When asked whether he was concerned by Aguero’s reaction to be replaced against Tottenham, Guardiola said: “That's normal. Players want to play. I can understand him, he wants to play, he's a top player but at that moment I needed a little more energy with Gabriel in that position. That's why I decided to take the decision.

“I don't want to hurt the players. I understand they are football players and want to play, but I have to take the decisions. I thought before the game the best option was Sergio and I said to Gabriel if he was sad or upset, I'm sorry.”

Guardiola’s substitution had the desired effect, however, as Tottenham failed to capitalise on a positive start to the second half and City moved through the gears to make sure of victory. A goal from Kevin De Bruyne and a Raheem Sterling brace added to Ilkay Gundogan’s opener, though Jesus failed to get himself on the scoresheet, striking a 75th-minute penalty.

The victory extended City’s run of back-to-back victories, which now stands at an all-time Football League record high of 16, and Guardiola admits that his players are performing so well, he is finding it difficult to give playing time to those in reserve.

“A manager takes a decision and we win, always you are right. When you don't win, you make a mistake,” he said of his second-half changes. “Simple as that. Always when I take a decision, I think many things. It's never personal because I trust the guys a lot, that's why I don't want to offend some players.

“I understand, I was a football player, I know they want to play. For me, it always breaks my heart when Danilo cannot play, when Bernardo [Silva] cannot play, when Yaya [Touré] cannot play, when the other players cannot play. That always broke my heart because they deserve it but it is what it is.”