Kevin De Bruyne only played for 69 minutes against Liverpool on Sunday.
The Belgian midfield sensation was subbed off for Mateo Kovacic in a heady afternoon at Anfield.
De Bruyne could not conceal his emotions as he was furious about being subbed off. Before taking to the bench, he confronted his manager Pep Guardiola, and seemed to be in a war of words with the Spaniard on the decision to whisk him off the crucial tie.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola, who answered a query on why he subbed off the Belgian, said he removed him due to his subpar delivery.
According to him, a slack in Kevin De Bruyne's performance led to Liverpool dominating proceedings and controlling the game more than City. And of course, when he brought on Mateo Kovacic, the dynamics of the game changed with City having more control than before.
'I'm happy to see that!' said Guardiola. 'I like it if he's upset, it's good. He's happy now. I knew what we were missing, we missed keeping the ball. After (he went off) we did it better. But, listen, Kevin… what can I say for Kevin… we need him and he is important."
It was indeed a rare move by Guardiola to sub off Kevin De Bruyne but a necessary tactical change to twist the trajectory of the game and cut down Liverpool's searing dominance.
The substitution has raised eyebrows regardless with De Bruyne's performances now under scrutiny. Another report on his performance against the Reds showed he could only complete 50% of his passes in the Liverpool area.
While the Belgian must have fallen off his ideal performance, it would be too early to draw conclusions on his performance.
De Bruyne was on a lengthy injury layoff due to an ACL injury. He made a roaring return from the sidelines, providing a world-class assist that saw Oscar Bobb score a stoppage-time winner for Manchester City against Newcastle United.
He has racked up 6 goal contributions in his 9 Premier League appearances since he returned from injury.
Guardiola still considers De Bruyne key to his Man City setup and will hope to have the Belgian return to elite-level performance after the setback at Anfield.
The Belgian midfield sensation was subbed off for Mateo Kovacic in a heady afternoon at Anfield.
De Bruyne could not conceal his emotions as he was furious about being subbed off. Before taking to the bench, he confronted his manager Pep Guardiola, and seemed to be in a war of words with the Spaniard on the decision to whisk him off the crucial tie.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola, who answered a query on why he subbed off the Belgian, said he removed him due to his subpar delivery.
According to him, a slack in Kevin De Bruyne's performance led to Liverpool dominating proceedings and controlling the game more than City. And of course, when he brought on Mateo Kovacic, the dynamics of the game changed with City having more control than before.
'I'm happy to see that!' said Guardiola. 'I like it if he's upset, it's good. He's happy now. I knew what we were missing, we missed keeping the ball. After (he went off) we did it better. But, listen, Kevin… what can I say for Kevin… we need him and he is important."
It was indeed a rare move by Guardiola to sub off Kevin De Bruyne but a necessary tactical change to twist the trajectory of the game and cut down Liverpool's searing dominance.
The substitution has raised eyebrows regardless with De Bruyne's performances now under scrutiny. Another report on his performance against the Reds showed he could only complete 50% of his passes in the Liverpool area.
While the Belgian must have fallen off his ideal performance, it would be too early to draw conclusions on his performance.
De Bruyne was on a lengthy injury layoff due to an ACL injury. He made a roaring return from the sidelines, providing a world-class assist that saw Oscar Bobb score a stoppage-time winner for Manchester City against Newcastle United.
He has racked up 6 goal contributions in his 9 Premier League appearances since he returned from injury.
Guardiola still considers De Bruyne key to his Man City setup and will hope to have the Belgian return to elite-level performance after the setback at Anfield.