Pep Guardiola considered Kevin de Bruyne’s reaction when he was taken off the field to be positive, in Man City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool in round 28 of the Premier League.
In the 69th minute, when the score at Anfield was 1-1, Guardiola replaced De Bruyne with Mateo Kovacic. The Belgian midfielder expressed his dissatisfaction on the way off the field and complained to Guardiola. When he returned to the bench, he continued to complain. Guardiola then had to sit next to him to explain and calm the situation.
After the match, when asked about De Bruyne’s reaction, Guardiola replied: “I like it. If De Bruyne is not satisfied, that’s fine. But now he is happy. What can I say about De Bruyne?” “De Bruyne is important and Man City needs him. But in the second half, after conceding a goal, we no longer controlled the game and had to do something to regain balance.”
Guardiola sat next to the bench to appease De Bruyne after withdrawing the Belgian midfielder from the field in the second half of Man City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in round 28 of the Premier League. Screenshots
During his time on the field, De Bruyne touched the ball 34 times, passed 64% accurately with three key passes, created two clear opportunities and had one shot on target. The biggest impression was the situation in the 23rd minute, when the Belgian midfielder kicked a low corner to the near post for John Stones to cut in to open the score.
Guardiola affirmed that he had no problem with De Bruyne, and said that replacing Kovacic was the correct decision as the Croatian midfielder helped Man City improve control. The Spanish coach added that De Bruyne will have the opportunity to assert himself in the next match against Newcastle in the FA Cup quarterfinals on March 16.
According to Guardiola, Man City started well, but encountered many difficulties after allowing Liverpool to equalize thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty kick. The 53-year-old coach also compared meeting Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield to a “tsunami”.
Guardiola hugged Jurgen Klopp after the final match in the Premier League. The two have clashed 29 times in their careers, the most of any opponent they have ever fought against. Of these, Klopp won 11 times and was the one who defeated Guardiola the most. On the contrary, with 10 wins, Guardiola is also the coach who has defeated Klopp the most.
Coach Guardiola hugs colleague Jurgen Klopp at the end of Man City’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool in round 28 of the Premier League at Anfield on March 10. Photo: AFP
“We don’t need a hug to show that respect,” Guardiola expressed. “Klopp protects his club, I protect my club. Our history speaks for itself. There are still 10 rounds left in the season and many things can happen.”
With the draw result, Man City is currently ranked third in the Premier League with 63 points, one point behind Liverpool and Arsenal. Guardiola and his team will play their next Premier League match against Arsenal at Eithad Stadium on March 31.