Snl24.com | Pep breaks silence on De Bruyne argument
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has explained why he clashe with Kevin De Bruyne during their 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola has broken his silence on his argument with midfielder Kevin De Bruyne during Manchester City’s 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Citizens hammered the tournament’s reigning champions to book a place in the final against Inter Milan in Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey, on 10 June.
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While the victory marked the second time the club has made it to the competition’s final under the Spanish coach, the match was not without incident as City’s playmaker and manager were seen clashing during the match.
Television cameras caught Guardiola, who has now reached 100 Champions League wins in 160 games, angrily telling De Bruyne to pass the ball, with the Belgian heard shouting back “shut up, shut up!” at his boss after losing possession.
The pair seemed to put their short exchange behind them quickly, though, with the Spaniard giving De Bruyne a warm embrace when he brought him off with less than 10 minutes to go before the end of the match.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola opened up about what he and his player clashed about.
“At 2-0, we rushed a lot,” Guardiola told Spanish broadcaster Movistar after City’s 5-1 aggregate win.
“Right after the break, [Ilkay] Gundogan lost a ball, Kevin made three transitions that weren’t necessary and we rushed a lot when we had to do the opposite, sink them and turn them, sink them and turn them.
“But it’s normal. It gets close, you rush, and it has cost us more, although in general we have had an extraordinary game.”
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The former FC Barcelona mentor also reserved special praise for midfielder Rodri, who impressed once again in the centre of the park.
“What a year,” Guardiola added.
“Everyone is talking about [Erling] Haaland, but without him [Rodri] this would not have been possible.
“He has become the best midfielder we have, it has been an imperial year. We are very happy, very much.”
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