Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed why he subbed off Kevin De Bruyne in the high-stake Premier League clash against Liverpool, MySportDab reports.
Kevin De Bruyne has been the fulcrum of Guardiola’s Manchester City winning machine. He is a regular starter that is rarely subbed off by Guardiola during games.
Against all odds, Guardiola decided to break protocol, subbing off the Belgian in what was more of a shocking tactical move.
After the match, Guardiola was asked how he felt seeing Kevin De Bruyne get angry after he subbed off the player.
The Spaniard appeared not to care about De Bruyne’s reaction, hinting the Belgian did not live up to the bidding.
According to him, Manchester City lost control of the game, failing to keep possession due to a slack in De Bruyne’s performance, hence his decision to sub him off.
The treble-winning manager added it is not the end of the road for De Bruyne as the team still needs his experience and creativity in the middle of the park.
‘I’m happy to see that!’ said Guardiola. ‘I like it if he’s upset, it’s good. He’s happy now. I knew what we were missing, we missed keeping the ball. After (he went off) we did it better. But, listen, Kevin… what can I say for Kevin… we need him and he is important.”
Liverpool were on the ascendancy after Mac Allister canceled out John Stone’s opener with a spot-kick goal.
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The Reds harried Man City to their toes, wielding possession, and creating a series of chances before Guardiola’s substitution of De Bruyne brought back semblances of control for the away side.
It ended 1-1 at the final whistle with both sides sharing spoils to keep the Premier League title race on the balance.
