D E B RUYNE SHINES
Regular commentators in English football, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, have both commented that there must be some problem between coach Pep Guardiola and star Kevin De Bruyne, which is why De Bruyne is always on the bench. In the recent 0-2 loss to Liverpool, De Bruyne was only brought in at the end of the match, of course, he could not do anything significant. Guardiola explained that due to purely injury reasons, De Bruyne could not quickly return to the starting lineup when it took him 5 months to recover from the injury.
De Bruyne (middle) is very dangerous when he returns to the main squad of Man.City.
In fact, all of Guardiola's explanations were superfluous, because of course he (and De Bruyne) had to deny the rumors that they were at odds with each other. But, Pep did ask a notable question: "Does Neville really think that I don't like De Bruyne playing?".
Even if there is a conflict, both Guardiola and De Bruyne are professionals - there is no need to prove this. On the contrary, the comments of Carragher and Neville only help fans understand more: Why Carragher has never been in charge, and why Neville's coaching career only lasted 4 months at Valencia, losing miserably, being fired and not being invited to coach again.
The most convincing answer is always the reality on the pitch. De Bruyne reappeared in the starting lineup and shone as Manchester City (Man.City) beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the midweek Premier League match. He scored 1 goal, assisted 1 goal in the first half, and participated in all important Man.City attacks. He was also a creative source, not just actively receiving and passing the ball. Almost all teammates when having the ball passed to De Bruyne, so that he could decide the next situation. Even Jack Grealish, in a slightly strange role (playing more centrally instead of mainly on the wing as before), also appeared extremely comfortable, playing easily thanks to De Bruyne.
PRESSURE RELIEVED
All of this shows that Guardiola has chosen the right time for De Bruyne to start again. The Belgian star is in good form because of this. On the other hand, this is a team story, not a personal story of De Bruyne. When asked about the situation of his teammates always passing the ball to De Bruyne in important moments of the attack, he appeared modest: "Maybe because I am the older player in the team. They want me to decide the problem, and I have that ability". This is a matter of trust. No one would put their trust in a player who is hated by the coach (as rumored).
When talking about Man.City, we must immediately mention the streak of 7 consecutive matches without a win, including 6 losses. Now, there is another statistic that reassures the fans of this team: De Bruyne has never lost in 31 consecutive matches that he started for Man.City. He directly participated in 25 goals in that streak of 31 matches.
People used to consider De Bruyne as Man.City's "inside coach". Coach Pep Guardiola's ideas about playing style and tactics are meaningless if they are not implemented as planned. And Guardiola, of course, just sits on the sidelines. On the field, De Bruyne is the player who supervises the whole team to implement Guardiola's professional ideas. The fact that De Bruyne always seems mediocre (compared to his star level) in the EURO and World Cup tournaments further shows the difference between a De Bruyne of the Belgian team and a De Bruyne of Man.City (or Pep).
There is not much to say about Man.City's recovery. But for now, the great pressure has been relieved. At least, Pep Guardiola and his team have not sunk deeper into the crisis. Pep himself has also relieved the pressure from the rumor that he "doesn't want De Bruyne to play". Carragher or Neville, in their commentary career, can say whatever they want. It's just hard for Pep: When they say something, there are... a lot of people listening.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-tra-loi-thuyet-phuc-cua-pep-guardiola-185241205211416232.htm
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