After the 3-1 win over Burnley in round 22 of the Premier League, coach Pep Guardiola admitted to having a headache in choosing the starting lineup when Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne returned.
At the Etihad Stadium on January 31, De Bruyne started for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury in the Premier League opener against Burnley in August 2023. The Belgian midfielder had just returned in the previous round, with a goal and an assist despite only playing the last 21 minutes of the match against Newcastle.
Meanwhile, after missing 10 games in all competitions due to a foot injury, Haaland was benched. The Norwegian striker replaced De Bruyne in the 71st minute and had two shots off target.
The return of De Bruyne and Haaland is expected to cause Julian Alvarez to lose his starting position. But Guardiola rates the Argentine star as capable of playing well in every position in attack, has the ability to move at high intensity and leaves open the possibility of combining these three names.
"They can play together," the Spanish coach stressed. "De Bruyne, Haaland, Alvarez are special players. The choice gives me a headache but they need to compete with each other."
Coach Guardiola gave instructions before sending Erling Haaland onto the field in Man City's 3-1 win over Burnley in round 22 of the Premier League at Etihad Stadium on January 31. Photo: Reuters
On his 24th birthday, Alvarez shone brightly with a brace to put Man City 2-0 up in the first half. Alvarez became the tenth player to score at least two goals in a Premier League game on his birthday, and the youngest to do so. Man City added a third goal in the second half through Rodri, but Ameen Al-Dakhil found the back of the net in the third minute of stoppage time.
"At 24, his achievements and what he gives to the team are unbelievable," Guardiola said of Alvarez, who has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, including eight in the Premier League. "Alvarez is a world champion, playing alongside Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Enzo Fernandez. If you are not good, you cannot play in that team."
Guardiola has said he will gradually increase the number of minutes he plays to help De Bruyne get back into shape and improve his fitness after a long-term injury. When asked about his approach to Haaland, the 53-year-old coach said: "If the score is 7-0 at half-time, Haaland will play more minutes. If the score is 0-0, Haaland may not play a minute."
The win over Burnley gave Man City 46 points, level with Arsenal, one point behind Liverpool and with one game in hand. Guardiola believes the Premier League title race is not just a three-horse race, as he believes Tottenham and Aston Villa (both on 43 points) have a chance. He is not concerned about this, emphasizing that Man City only focuses on each game.
On February 5, Man City traveled to Brentford Stadium to play the latest match of round 23 of the Premier League.
Hong Duy
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