Pep Guardiola issues explanation on Oscar Bobb’s Manchester City struggles | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Oscar Bobb will return to form that brought him to the very fore of the club’s first-team set-up during the 2023/24 season, says Pep Guardiola.

The Norwegian winger is under a brighter spotlight than usual after a turbulent run of performances for City, and now coinciding with the club’s frustrating evening at St James’ Park on Saturday.

While City dominated long stretches of their defeat to Newcastle, they lacked sharpness in the final third – an area where Pep Guardiola still believes Bobb can offer game-changing quality once he rediscovers rhythm and confidence.

Guardiola’s defence of Bobb came prior to a chaotic contest on Tyneside that saw City miss several clear chances, as Harvey Barnes struck twice including a winner awarded after a lengthy VAR review, leaving the visitors to lament both their finishing and referee decisions.

Bobb was introduced relatively late on into the contest, but his largely absent showing and an inability to impact the game in attacking areas leaves some fans questioning how and when he will next be reintroduced into the starting line-up in a high-profile affair.

As such, the managerial backing comes at an important time for the 22-year-old, who is still playing catch-up after missing almost the entirety of last season with a leg fracture. Those around the first-team insist his adaptation is ongoing, and Guardiola remains convinced that Bobb’s blend of intelligence, energy, and pressing instinct will make him a major asset.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference prior to the weekend’s action, Guardiola was quizzed on Bobb and the form of the Norwegian amid pursuits of nailing down his starting place in the Catalan’s line-ups.

“Sometimes you have less minutes [because of] competition or we play a little bit different, but I have a lot of [good] opinions about him,” said Guardiola.

He continued, “He played first few games, he played well defensively, the high pressing and his intuition is extraordinary and the moment he is freeing his mind, I know he can do it. The last few games for Norway he played really, really good and I missed him last season a lot and he’s going to help us.

“He will be back and when he plays, he’s going to be really good. Last season he had pre-season but was injured, so this is the first time he plays more minutes in a team like City.

“He is so young and has to take it step by step and take the minutes we give him, [will be] the best for the team and for himself.”

With fixtures piling up and the manager continuing to rotate his forward line across competitions, the Norwegian international – who recently qualified for the FIFA World Cup – appears well placed to benefit when fresh chances arrive.

There is also the wider question of how City balance development with results. Pep Guardiola has historically persisted with young talent he trusts – Phil Foden being the clearest example – and Bobb may now find himself on a similar trajectory if he proves capable of contributing.

With City looking to respond quickly after their setback against Newcastle, the opportunity could come sooner rather than later as a UEFA Champions League fixture against Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad Stadium now awaits.