First up, we begin with word on our youngsters after they impressed in last night’s Carabao Cup test.
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The Blues secured a spot in the semi-final over Leicester City after a 3-1 win on penalties, with Muric coming out on top after saving two of the Foxes spot kicks.
But Garcia, who made his competitive senior debut, was also picked out by the boss for his outstanding efforts.
“He (Garcia) has a lot of personality,” Guardiola explained to the Manchester Evening News. “In pre-season in the States he was incredible, commanding the line against Bayern Munich and Liveprool.
“Unfortunately he had a tough injury and was out for more than two months so he could not train with us. He’s a guy that has a lot of sense of the position. He’s so smart and he’s not the strongest in the air or the fastest one but few times the opposition win one position, he’s able to guide the line and has a lot of personality to play.
“He has good vision, a good pass. It’s incredible, I’m very pleased. He didn’t make one mistake and with the ball he played with huge personality. It’s not easy with [Demarai] Gray, Kele [Iheanacho] and [James] Maddison.
“It’s a big important event. I’m so delighted with his performance.”
On Muric, the boss explained how important experience in the cup is for the young Swiss.
“He’s trained really good. He’s so shy,” Guardiola added. “It’s a nice moment. Thank you so much to our fans for coming, he deserved the big applause because during the game he was brilliant saving the actions with his foot and of course he saved two penalties.
“Aro is so big and the pressure for the opponents is not easy because his reactions are so quick. He has a lot of power in his legs and he made the right decisions, even for the penalty from Harry Maguire. The taker was exceptional but he was there. It’s good experience for him, he’s played all the competition and is a good signing.”
Goalscorer Kevin De Bruyne also said a word on the young ‘keeper.
“He’s [Muric] got veins of ice and did what he had to do, so it’s a beautiful moment for him”, De Bruyne explained.
Muric was given one of the highest player ratings by ESPN’s Johnathan Smith.
Smith scribes: “Muric – 8. Just his third appearance for the club and his biggest test so far. Understandably nervous with the ball at his feet but no errors and one smart save from Demarai Gray. No chance with the goal but came to the fore in the shootout with two saves.”
While he said this about our young centre-back: “Garcia – 7. The 17-year-old from Barcelona was making his debut for the first team and made an impressive start. He was defensively solid and comfortable passing out from the back.”
Finally, on the subject of our young starlets, we look ahead to our first FA Youth Cup fixture of the season.
Gareth Taylor’s young Blues take on Clevedon Town Under-18s tonight away in Somerset.
The Daily Mail have described the upcoming game as a true “David and Goliath” meeting.
The newspaper says: “This Wednesday, Man City‘s academy side will find themselves on the same pitch as Clevedon Town of the Somerset Floodlit Youth League Premier.
“It isn’t often that football throws up such a truly David vs Goliath contest, but the third round draw for the FA Youth Cup has done romantics everywhere proud.
“It has pitted a bunch of local lads from north Somerset against a collection of football’s brightest young talents often cherry-picked from the world’s finest academies. Barcelona included.
“The Severn Estuary seaside town, located 15 miles west of Bristol, typically has most of its exciting activity during the summer months, so this tie against a City side who have been Youth Cup finalists three times in the last four seasons is causing quite a stir.
“Over 1,300 tickets have already been sold for the occasion (the first team average gates of 150 in the Western League), while the local television news cameras have been down to film youth team coach Alex White putting his squad through their paces.
“’It’s all a bit surreal,’ White admits. ‘It is once in a lifetime for us and the biggest night in the club’s history.
“’They are a footballing giant - they have the best facilities, they have the money, they can attract any player from around the world. It’s an easy sell.
“’They replicate the first team perfectly. It’s the first team just at a younger age, the same system and style.
“’We prioritise the FA Youth Cup each season, it takes up all our attention and focus. We were desperate to play against a Football League club. And now we’ve drawn the champions of England.’”
That’s all for your Wednesday media watch, but we will be back tomorrow with all the latest news from the backpages!
