Guardiola purrs over De Bruyne
PEP Guardiola said Manchester City were lucky to have Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgium midfielder inspired his team to a resounding 5-0 victory over Premier League rivals Liverpool.
De Bruyne created goals for Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus and had a hand in one of Leroy Sane’s two strikes as City recorded their biggest win over Liverpool since March 1937.
The game hinged on Liverpool forward Sadio Mane’s 37thminute dismissal for a shuddering head-high challenge on Ederson that ended the City goalkeeper’s match, but Guardiola only had eyes for De Bruyne.
“Kevin is, pfff,” said the City manager, puffing out his cheeks, in his post-game press conference at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. “With his quality, his commitment without the ball. He learns, he’s so intelligent. You say one instruction and he understands immediately.
“He produces a huge [number] of passes and assists. Last season he shot 15 or 16 times against the posts. We were unlucky. Hopefully this year he can help us.
“He’s quick, he always sees the spaces on the middle or outside. He runs more than anyone else. He’s good with balls to feet, he’s good attacking space.
“He is a complete player. He loves to be here with us. We are a lucky team, a lucky club to have Kevin with us. This season he’s in a good mood, maybe because he is a father.”
De Bruyne’s pass released Aguero to round Simon Mignolet and open the scoring in the 24th minute and his cross from the left was headed in by Jesus in first-half stoppage time.
Aguero unselfishly teed up Jesus for City’s third goal, and late strikes from substitute Sane – the second a glorious effort into the top-left corner – completed the rout.
Ederson was stretchered off in a neck brace after Mane caught him in the face with an outstretched right boot as he tried to latch onto Joel Matip’s lofted pass behind the City defence.
But he re-emerged beside the dugout towards the end of the game, the left side of his face covered in a white dressing, and tests revealed he had not sustained any facial fractures.
Guardiola concurred with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s assessment that Mane’s challenge had been “accidental”.
Klopp said Mane had been left “very, very, very upset” and “shocked” by the incident, but suggested an appeal against the Senegal forward’s dismissal would be “another waste of time, like the whole game”.
It was Liverpool’s heaviest defeat since Klopp became manager in October 2015, but he felt Mane’s dismissal had distorted the game. “But I’m not concerned in the long term. If City take too much confidence from this game, they make a mistake. If we lose too much confidence, we also make a mistake.”
Liverpool were without Philippe Coutinho, who returned to action with Brazil during the international break following a back injury, but Klopp said he was in contention to face Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday. — AFP