Matheus Nunes call points to Pep Guardiola plan for Man City at Arsenal

It was never going to be ideal to start Matheus Nunes at Wolves.

Jack Grealish had contributed far more to Aston Villa and left in far less acrimonious circumstances - getting £100m for his boyhood club rather than refusing to train after a bid was rejected - yet Pep Guardiola still thought it best to leave him out of the hostile atmosphere that would be waiting for him.

Nunes didn't get that luxury because Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones were all absent at the weekend, and while he wasn't terrible it is never pleasant to get hooked after 45 minutes - particularly for someone with fewer Premier League starts than you. An enforced decision did not pay off.

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There are no doubts over Nunes at City, but Leipzig would have been a perfect opportunity to slot him straight back into the team to make it clear that the early Wolves substitution was more protective than anything else. That is not the way Guardiola operates though, and Nunes was instead forced to wait for another chance.

It could be argued that those on the bench in Germany were being kept fresh for Arsenal on Sunday given the magnitude of that Premier League game, yet it felt telling after the manager's comments on Tuesday that just one summer signing started. City's coach does not take the Champions League lightly and also knows the importance of winning games for momentum.

"I couldn't expect Mateo [Kovacic] would adapt so quick," he said. Jeremy [Doku] - the moments he has played have been top.

"But there are moments and games and players who know exactly what we have to do for one simple reason - we are seven, eight years together. When I brief, they