Guardiola Urges De Bruyne to Rediscover Form, but Regular Starting Spot not Guaranteed
It seems that Pep Guardiola is urging Kevin De Bruyne to find his best form again, but he is also being honest about the fact that he cannot guarantee him a starting spot if he doesn’t perform well. De Bruyne missed some games due to illness, and his performance in the first half of the match against Bristol City was not up to par. However, he did improve in the second half and scored a great goal.
In the recent match against Newcastle, De Bruyne seemed to struggle a bit, leading Guardiola to advise him to go back to basics in training. Despite this, Guardiola is still backing De Bruyne to rediscover his form and is confident that he will bounce back. Whether he will be a regular starter, however, will depend on his performance on the pitch.
“He’s always ready. Kevin, like with Gundo and John [Stones], are the players who remain from day one when we arrive,” Guardiola explained, while leaving open the possibility of rotation at Selhurst Park.
“I know him quite well and how important he is. At the same time there are moments, ups and downs, like happens with Phil [Foden] and other players, they compete with other players. In one part of the season one player can be better than the other and another can be worse, it’s normal.
“I try to decide the best to win this specific game, selection is always like this. In these seven years, Kevin has been Kevin and some more. All the time, when he didn’t play it was for rest or tired or injured.”
It seems that Pep Guardiola is viewing the upcoming week as decisive in Manchester City’s season, with important fixtures in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup. Guardiola has declared De Bruyne ready for these matches, indicating that he believes the Belgian can play a key role in City’s success.
However, Guardiola is keen to emphasize that City’s only focus at the moment is on their trip to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. This suggests that he is not taking any game lightly and is ensuring that his players are fully focused on the task at hand. It remains to be seen how City will fare in these crucial matches, but Guardiola’s determination and attention to detail could give them the edge they need to succeed.
“Absolutely not [thinking about the Champions League], we’re playing for the Premier League. Most important is the Premier League. Apart from when we come from one long week, good rest, two days off, try to play good. It’s not about thinking about Leipzig.
“Crystal Palace deserve a lot of attention for their qualities. [Jordan] Ayew, [Wilfried] Zaha, [Eberech] Eze, they have a lot of weapons up front. The quality they have up front is unbelievable. We have to pay attention, small pitch, the crowd support the team. [Joachim] Andersen incredible in the build-up and long balls. The set pieces, they score two goals here from set pieces. We have to be careful, the players know it.”
Guardiola has mentioned about Manchester City adapting to playing with Erling Haaland or his teammates needing more time to know when to look for their striker’s runs. It’s possible that this is a hypothetical scenario, but there is no indication that Guardiola has discussed this in any recent statements or interviews.
He said: “In some moments in the past we had Gabriel [Jesus] there, Sergio [Aguero], we didn’t have the attention to look for them a lot. Now we have to try to do it. Now we know he’s there, he’s a good target for us. The first vision has to be for him.
“Before was more right-left until the right moment. Sometimes when you are too quick you are less precise, lose the ball, allow the transitions for the opponent. This balance to find in the right way, because when he starts to run with the power, the tendency is to give him the ball because he’s going to score a goal.
“But what happened against Newcastle a few times, the transitions with Joelinton and the players they have. At the same time, it’s not just for passing to him, we did well against Bournemouth for example, this balance is about time. He gives us a lot.”
