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Pep's rotation has been figured out: Three things we learnt from Gameweek 12

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Leroy Sane has started the last seven Premier League games and Pep Guardiola has revealed why.
Leroy Sane has started the last seven Premier League games and Pep Guardiola has revealed why.

It usually takes a few weeks for top managers to find their winning formula, but this season we have seen a lot of rotation among the top clubs. Pep Guardiola has been the main culprit for chopping and changing his team, with seemingly no pattern to his rotation.

But now he has revealed the method to his madness in the same Gameweek that Jurgen Klopp sent us a message about which defender he favours and Mourinho hinted that he has found his ideal starting XI.

1. Pep Guardiola will not play Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus together until at least April

Pep is known as a very private individual, only doing the compulsory pre-match press conferences. So until now, his starting lineup on the weekend has been a guessing game.

Since Benjamin Mendy’s horrific injury against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 6, Sane has started every Premier League game and now we know why.

The Spanish coach said today that Sane is needed for width in Mendy’s absence. This is also the reason why he cannot play both Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus together.

On the other wing, Sterling has started from the bench twice in the last four games. Aguero meanwhile has started in just two of the last five games, while Jesus has started just three times.

Leroy Sane is the most secure player at the moment in Pep’s side.

2. Jose Mourinho learnt his lesson playing Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial together
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admitted that playing both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford together can negatively affect the balance of the team.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admitted that playing both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford together can negatively affect the balance of the team.

Until the Newcastle game, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial had only been on the pitch together for 37 minutes, despite making 21 appearances between them this season. Their attacking flair together is undeniable but Mourinho said that the team lose a point on contact with the midfield when they play together, because they like to play in the same position.

And while United did find their rhythm in the second half, Mourinho will not forget the instability the formation caused in the defensive areas for Newcastle’s opening goal.

“So to play them [Martial and Rashford] together gives us things but also takes some things from us,” said Mourinho.

3. Alberto Moreno is nailed on and Joe Gomez is not
Alberto Moreno has played 90 minutes for 10 games in-a-row in all competitions.
Alberto Moreno has played 90 minutes for 10 games in-a-row in all competitions.

Joe Gomez and Alberto Moreno had started every league game together since Liverpool played Leicester in Gameweek 6. But the new England international was dropped to the bench this weekend against Southampton for Trent Alexander-Arnold (TAA).

TAA and Gomez were rotated to start the season but following Gomez’s suspension in Europe, TAA took over as the Champions League right back while Gomez took over Premier League responsibilities. Joe Gomez is expected to start in midweek now following TAA’s surprise start.

Alberto Moreno meanwhile has locked the left-flank down, starting every Premier League games since Gameweek 6 and every Champions League game this season.

Moreno has been overlooked in fantasy because of his lacklustre defensive performances in recent seasons and moreso the fact he comically spending last season on the bench behind a 30-year-old central midfielder in James Milner. For the foreseeable future however, Moreno looks set to continue speeding up and down the flank in full view of a miserable young Scot on the bench.