“He’s happy here, no problem at all. If he’s upset, it’s good,” Pep Guardiola commented on the heated exchange he had with Kevin De Bruyne after bringing him off in the 69th minute.
One of the biggest Premier League games of the season took place on Sunday afternoon when Klopp’s Liverpool faced Pep’s Manchester City. What made this match so much more significant was the fact that the coaches were likely facing off for the last time in the Premier League after more than 6 years of utter dominance by the two coaches over the league.
Though City won 5 of those 6 titles, the only side that consistently pushed them to the very end over this period was Liverpool, who secured their own league title in 2020 and were runners-up on several occasions, even having the most points any team has ever gotten without winning the league when they collected a total of 97 points in the 2018/19 campaign. Klopp has recently announced his departure from The Reds at the end of the season, sending the football world into meltdown.
So, what happened during the match?
Apart from being hugely significant in the title race, this match also had that “end of an era” feeling about it, creating a truly special atmosphere at Anfield when kick-off approached. The match itself did not disappoint the millions of people tuned in, as the sides went at it hammer and tongs, with City dominating the early stages and finding the opener in the first half through a brilliant set-piece routine when De Bruyne played a piercing low cross toward the near post, which John Stones expertly pounced on.
Liverpool managed to equalize when Darwin Nunez was brought down in the box by Ederson, who injured himself in the process and subsequently went off. City were then failing to get out from the back with Liverpool pressing incredibly high after the introductions of Mo Salah and Andy Robertson.
John Stones delivering the goods from an exquisite @KevinDeBruyne corner! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/mxoWbix6dg
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 10, 2024
The ball was no longer reaching De Bruyne and Haaland up top, prompting the City manager to bring his skipper off so Kovacic can add to the numbers deep in midfield and try to keep the ball better when playing out. De Bruyne was visibly upset with Pep Guardiola as he left the pitch.
Guardiola’s remarks Speaking at the post-match conference, Pep Guardiola defended his decision and emphasized that there is nothing wrong between himself and De Bruyne and that he likes to see that passion. Asked about the exchange, the City manager was quick to shut down suggestions of problems at the club; he responded, “No, he’s happy here, no problem at all. I like it if he’s upset; it’s good. The game was not in our hands. After the substitution, we do it a lot better, keeping the ball.”
