Guardiola explains Omar Marmoush’s limited role at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola has admitted that the presence of Erling Haaland has made life difficult for Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush at Manchester City FC, despite the forward’s impressive impact this season.

The City manager, however, insisted that Marmoush will play an important role during the decisive closing stages of the campaign as the club continues its push for major silverware.

Manchester City still have four matches remaining this season, including the FA Cup Final, with the fixtures packed into a demanding 12-day schedule.

Marmoush has had to remain patient for opportunities since arriving at the club, starting only seven Premier League matches so far. Despite his limited minutes, the Egyptian international has continued to impress, most recently scoring after coming off the bench in City’s 3-0 victory over Brentford FC last weekend.

Guardiola revealed that he has already spoken with the squad players about the importance of remaining ready as he prepares to rotate his team during the intense final stretch.

“We have spoken several times, I know it is not easy for them, but I am absolutely certain that they will play in the upcoming matches,” Guardiola said in comments reported by ESPN.

The Spanish coach stressed that squad rotation would be essential if City are to maintain their physical condition for both league fixtures and the FA Cup final.

“I want to rotate the squad, because otherwise we won’t be able to reach the cup final or face Bournemouth with sufficient physical readiness,” he explained.

Guardiola also acknowledged the challenge Marmoush faces due to Haaland’s importance within the squad.

“Especially Omar, it’s not easy because you usually only want one striker. He is a real striker, but we have Erling Haaland in the team,” Guardiola added.

Despite Haaland’s dominance in attack, the City boss praised Marmoush’s efficiency and contribution whenever called upon.

“Haaland is very important for us, but Marmoush’s contribution, considering the number of goals compared to the number of minutes he played, is very high,” he said.

Haaland recently reached the milestone of 50 goals for club and country this season, a feat Guardiola described as remarkable after the Norwegian battled through a difficult period earlier in the campaign.

“It’s unbelievable. There was a period when he suffered from extreme fatigue last November when he returned from the qualifiers with Norway… It was a very difficult period,” Guardiola stated.