Three days after playing Dortmund, the team headed south to London to challenge Fulham away from home.
This was the fifth round of the Premier League this season.
Although Courtois had won unanimous praise for his outstanding performance against Dortmund, Guardiola, Begiristain, and the others decided after careful consideration to continue starting Joe Hart for this match.
On the one hand, it was for rotation. On the other, it was also to reassure the players and fans.
No matter how you looked at it, Joe Hart was England's first-choice goalkeeper. Deciding after just a few matches that he had lost his starting position was rather difficult to justify, and the feelings of the homegrown fans were also something the team needed to take seriously.
After communicating and coordinating with everyone, they ultimately decided to start Joe Hart.
After playing Dortmund in the Champions League, the team had expended a great deal of energy. Therefore, Guardiola decided to make a fairly large number of changes for this match. He even fielded a front three of Hazard, Džeko, and Agüero, leaving Douglas Costa on the bench.
Su Dong was also on the bench. He had performed brilliantly against Dortmund, so he was being rested for this match.
At Craven Cottage, Man City still adhered to a 4-3-3 formation.
Joe Hart was in goal. The back four consisted of Leighton Baines, Javi Martinez, David Luiz, and Zabaleta. Busquets sat deep in midfield, with Moutinho and Toni Kroos pushing forward. The front three were Hazard, Džeko, and Agüero.
Toni Kroos was highly valued by Guardiola and had already made several consecutive appearances. This showed how much Guardiola relied on the German midfielder. Kroos's performances were also becoming increasingly steady, making him an indispensable key passer for Man City.
According to media statistics, Toni Kroos