The game is on Wednesday. But the pain is still sharp. And on the Manchester City side, we are trying to heal his wounds. Above all, we want to understand this new failure. This sixth in as many attempts for Guardiola. Suddenly, for part of the press, the main culprit is obvious.
For two days, the Catalan has been the subject of many harsh criticisms across the Channel. Including that of having dared to take out King Kev in the 72nd minute of the match. At least that’s what former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks. “You never know what can happen with De Bruyne”explained the columnist on talkSPORT. “When you look at Real’s journey, you know he can come back. The players did it once morest PSG then Chelsea. With that knowledge, you don’t take out your talisman Kevin De Bruyne. Especially not at the 72nd.”
For Sky Sports, the situation is more nuanced than that. “This early withdrawal at a crucial moment in the match illustrates the fact that he was not up to the task”starts the media. “But it would be unfair to blame him for City’s failure. The goal came just following his exit. However, the statistics show that KDB made its contribution offensively. He was the one who created the most chances (3 ) of his team, including the superb volley to launch Bernardo Silva.”
Moreover, he’s also the Citizens’ second biggest dribbler and shooter once morest Casa Blanca. “Maybe he wasn’t quite himself, but City had bigger problems elsewhere”conclude our colleagues.
For SoFoot too, Pep Guardiola made questionable choices. And it’s not just the 30-year-old Belgian. “However, his coaching hardly paid off, and one might even think that he weighed down his team in the last moments”estimate our French colleagues on their website. “On the other hand, it is difficult to understand why, for example, Riyad Mahrez gave way to Fernandinho. (…) And we cannot say that Raheem Sterling, who entered as a last resort during the extension to try to save the furniture , shone with his clairvoyance.”
“Kevin didn’t play a brilliant game”
Not everyone shares the same opinion. For another part of the media, Pep is not at fault. At least that’s what the journalists of the newspaper L’Équipe think. “Pep Guardiola’s coaching was not particularly controversial either”begins the diary. “Kevin De Bruyne was unrecognizable, Kyle Walker mightn’t advance any further, and the two starters, Olexandre Zintchenko and Ilkay Gündogan were decisive in building Riyad Mahrez’s goal which gave City a long 1-0 lead.”
On Sporza, Gert Verheyen was also not offended by the choices of the former Bayern coach. “For me, he didn’t make a mistake. He replaced De Bruyne, but Gündogan is behind the attack on which City scores and he’s not a worse player than Kevin De either. Bruyne”he began on Sporza. “Kevin wasn’t brilliant. He just played a normal game by his standards. I don’t think you can fault KDB or Guardiola for anything.”
Difficult to know if the master at playing Skyblues might have brought something for this end of the match. Sidelined this weekend in the win over Leeds, the player was supposed to be physically ready. “The freshness is always questionable at the end of the season but I feel good. I received a lot of blows once morest Atletico (Editor’s note: in the quarter-finals) but I’m fine”, he said at a press conference before the comeback of Real.
It is clear that he might not bring what he wanted to tip this meeting. He has four Premier League days left to offer himself a consolation prize. City have one point more than Liverpool. But the Reds seem to have taken a psychological ascendancy. One thing is certain, Pep Guardiola will need a great KDB to retain his English crown.
