‘We need a player who keeps the ball!’ 🗣️ ‘After (he went off) we did it better…’- Pep Guardiola defends early Kevin De Bruyne substitution after touchline spat with Man City midfielder in Liverpool draw
Pep Guardiola has officially explained why he took Kevin De Bruyne off during Manchester City’s March 10 visit to Liverpool.
The defending champions headed to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp for the final time in the Premier League. The Spanish tactician began with his legendary pairing of Erling Haaland and De Bruyne up front.
The Belgian’s creativity allowed the Citizens to take the lead in the 23rd minute. The midfielder stepped up to take a corner kick, and as the entire Liverpool team waited for him to hoist it, he found John Stones at the near post, who converted it.
The lead was lost in the 50th minute after Nathan Ake’s poor backpass forced Ederson to foul Darwin Nunez. Alexis MacAllister made no mistakes on the spot.
With the game evenly matched, Guardiola startled many when he replaced De Bruyne in the 69th minute with Mateo Kovacic.
Guardiola explains why he withdraws De Bruyne.
The City number 17 was furious with the decision and confronted his boss as he passed past him. Replays show Guardiola approaching De Bruyne’s position on the bench to explain his choice.
Speaking after the game, the former Barcelona manager expressed no misgivings about benching his star player, arguing that the decision was necessary as City fought to regain control.
“I’m pleased to see that! I enjoy it when he is unhappy; it is fantastic. He’s happy right now. I knew what we were missing: keeping the ball. We improved our performance after he left. “After we had Mateo [Kovacic], we could make more passes when he came on,” he stated, as reported by the Premier League website.
The win means Arsenal now leads the Premier League table with 64 points, the same as Liverpool. Arsenal lead with a large goal differential, with Manchester City trailing by only one point.
Mikel Arteta’s team travels to the Etihad Stadium at the end of the month.
Similarly, Sports Brief stated that Liverpool was denied a late penalty against Manchester City.
Jeremy Doku appeared to land his foot on Mac Allister’s chest, but referee Michael Oliver dismissed an appeal.
The challenge came deep into stoppage time, and Liverpool may have received a second penalty in the game.
