Guardiola praises Bravo, but won’t commit to starting him

There’s some question as to whether Pep Guardiola will start Claudio Bravo in net when Manchester City hosts Swansea City on Sunday morning.

Bravo was famously brought to the Etihad Stadium despite the presence of longtime servant Joe Hart, now on loan at Torino. The Chilean backstop has struggled to adapt to the Premier League, though there’s no questioning his background at Barcelona, Real Sociedad, Colo-Colo and Chile.

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But Bravo did not start in Man City’s 4-0 defeat of West Ham, as Guardiola opted for Wily Caballero. Caballero has four clean sheets in 12 matches this year, and is a perfect 4-0 in the Premier League.

The boss was asked about the situation on Friday. So who’s starting, Pep?

From the BBC:

“I still I can’t decide. In the big clubs, you have good goalkeepers and I have it so I will decide on what I see. One of Claudio Bravo’s biggest qualities is his strong personality. If not, he could not have won the Copa Americas and played for Barcelona.”

So is Guardiola saying that Bravo can easily deal with a one-match demotion, or that he’ll be able to handle extended time on the bench? It’s a 50-50 proposition, but I expect Caballero again on Sunday.

Follow @NicholasMendola