Pep Guardiola has officially provided an explanation for his decision to substitute Kevin De Bruyne during Manchester City’s visit to Liverpool on March 10.
The defending champions faced Jurgen Klopp’s team at Anfield for the final time in the Premier League. Guardiola started with his renowned pairing of Erling Haaland and De Bruyne in attack.
De Bruyne’s creative prowess led to City taking the lead in the 23rd minute when he delivered a corner kick, finding John Stones at the near post, who converted it.
However, City lost the lead in the 50th minute after a poor backpass from Nathan Ake forced Ederson to foul Darwin Nunez, resulting in Alexis MacAllister converting the subsequent penalty.
With the game finely balanced, Guardiola surprised many by substituting De Bruyne in the 69th minute for Mateo Kovacic.
De Bruyne, visibly unhappy with the decision, confronted Guardiola as he passed by. Guardiola was seen approaching De Bruyne on the bench to explain his decision.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola defended his decision, stating that it was necessary as City sought to regain control of the game.
“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 draw means Arsenal now tops the Premier League table with 64 points, level with Liverpool. Arsenal leads with a superior goal difference, while Manchester City trails by just one point.
Mikel Arteta’s team is set to visit the Etihad Stadium at the end of the month.
Additionally, Sports Brief reported that Liverpool was denied a late penalty against Manchester City, as Jeremy Doku appeared to land his foot on Mac Allister’s chest.
However, referee Michael Oliver dismissed the appeal, which occurred deep into stoppage time, potentially depriving Liverpool of a second penalty in the game.
