SUMMARY
- Pep Guardiola decided to take Kevin De Bruyne off in the second half of the match.
- Later on, Guardiola expressed his opinion regarding the substitution of Kevin De Bruyne.
The Premier League showdown between Liverpool and Manchester City, laced with star players like Kevin De Bruyne and Virgil van Dijk, had all the highs and lows. The match was the one last time when the veteran Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and City’s manager Pep Guardiola faced each other in the top flight of English soccer.
However, Manchester City’s boss Pep Guardiola shocked everyone when he decided to take their midfielder Kevin De Bruyne off in the second half of the match. Noticeably, KDB seemed frustrated with Pep’s decision and was seen arguing with him while returning to the dugout. The Spanish manager broke his silence on the incident and laid down his opinion.
🔵🇧🇪 Guardiola on Kevin de Bruyne not happy with his sub: “I’m happy to see that! 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”. pic.twitter.com/LDA15ydJZn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 10, 2024
Pep Guardiola reportedly expressed, “I’m happy to see that! I like it if he’s (KDB) is upset it’s good”. The manager also cleared the air by stating that the player is “happy now”. However, the impact caused on the match by De Bryune’s substitution was obvious, and even Pep stated his verdict on it.
The 53-year-old inflicted, “I knew what we were missing, we missed keeping the ball”. The veteran manager’s statements signify that even though he opted to substitute KDB, maybe to pertain to some tactical changes, he noticed that Manchester City lost a fair bit of control in the match.
The substitution of Kevin De Bruyne allowed Liverpool a foot back into the game
After the substitution of Kevin De Bruyne during the 69th minute of the game by Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola, the host Liverpool managed to crawl their way back into the match. The Reds started gaining unprecedented momentum as they looked quite adept at stitching quick passes around the City’s half.
What’s being said here? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/QxCCy9QFpN
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 10, 2024
The sudden plethora of Liverpool possession reflected the importance of Kevin De Bruyne for Manchester City. It seemed like Guardiola had made a mistake in his decision to substitute KDB during such a crucial match phase. The significance of the occasion, as it was a title-defining clash, further sprung a surprise towards City’s approach to the second half.
Liverpool and Manchester City share the points in an electrifying Premier League clash
Manchester City appeared to be in full control of the proceedings in their top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Liverpool at Anfield. The visitors also managed to acquire an early lead as their defender, John Stones, managed to convert a quick corner taken by Kevin De Bruyne into a sneaky goal in the 23rd minute of the game.
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐓 🥵🌪️ pic.twitter.com/rbnQAAxbaq
— 433 (@433) March 10, 2024
However, Liverpool sprung back into life in the second half as the game started to open up. A foul by City’s goalkeeper Ederson on Reds striker Darwin Nunez resulted in a penalty for Liverpool, which Alexis Mac Allister tucked away neatly to bring his side back into the game. The match ended with a scoreline of 1-1 as both teams shared the points.
