Pep Guardiola has revealed that it is “good” that Kevin De Bruyne was unhappy with him after Manchester City drew to Liverpool.
As Gary Neville claimed, the midfield maestro had a “proper whinge” at the Catalan boss for substituting him 24 minutes into the second half during City’s 1-1 draw at Anfield.
While City were in need of a winner, it seemed like Guardiola prioritised the need for control in the middle of the park, as the visiting players, including De Bruyne kept ceding possession and allowing the hosts to exploit them in transition after conceding excessive turnovers.
Pep Guardiola says he likes that Kevin De Bruyne was angry with him after Manchester City drew to Liverpool
Mateo Kovacic replaced the treble-winner and in all fairness, he did calm proceedings down and helped the Sky Blues gain more of a foothold during the game.
It’s fair to claim that before the Croatian’s introduction, it seemed inevitable that the hosts, who were dominating the clash would win the game.
After Manchester City somehow managed to earn a point against Liverpool, Pep Guardiola admitted he was happy Kevin De Bruyne was seemingly upset with him.
“Now he’s happy. No problem. I like it. If he’s upset, it’s good”, Guardiola said [via Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski].
Pep Guardiola explained why he decided to substitute Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne against Liverpool.
“I made the decision because I knew what we were missing and we missed keeping the ball and we could not have it with him and [Bernardo Silva] and John [Stones], and after we did it better. What can I say for Kevin [De Bruyne]? We need it and we need him and it’s really important.”
“It’s a difficult place to come and he tried and in the first half he was incredibly involved in all the transitions and the shots and the corner. We know it. The moment we had in the second half after conceding the goal the game was not in our hands and I wanted to make something that could give the game back to us a little bit. This was the idea, no more than that.”
Kevin De Bruyne should channel his anger in the right way
While some may be puzzled why Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola likes the fact that Kevin De Bruyne looked like he was happy with him during his side’s draw against Liverpool, it may prove to be a blessing in disguise.
If the £54 million (The Telegraph) man channels his anger correctly and uses it to fuel him against Newcastle United in the FA Cup and Arsenal in the Premier League, City could take a huge step forward in both competitions.
Until the end of the season, if a fire has been ignited within the 32-year-old to make Guardiola regret his decision to hook him off against the Reds, he could use that as motivation to spearhead City to glory in multiple competitions, especially in the league.
