Pep Guardiola explains Kevin De Bruyne touchline argument

Pep Guardiola has insisted that Kevin De Bruyne's aggravation at being subbed off during Man City's 1-1 draw with Liverpool was a "good" thing.

The Belgian international started the game in midfield alongside Rodri and Bernardo Silva, but after a bright opening 30 minutes in which he set up John Stones' goal, De Bruyne largely struggled to assert his authority on proceedings thereafter - particularly when Liverpool began to dominate the game in the second half.

That being said, it was still a huge surprise when Man City manager Guardiola opted to replace De Bruyne with Mateo Kovacic in the 69th minute of the game. De Bruyne was notably furious with the decision, exchanging words with the club's backroom staff on his way off of the pitch.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the incident, Guardiola was keen to see spin the midfielder's reaction into a positive, saying:

“That’s good. That’s good," insisted Guardiola. “He will have a chance [in] the next game to prove how wrong I was, so next time he’ll have it. It’s fine.

“We needed a player that had the ball and [would] keep it. It’s not about pressing, it’s not about this play and that’s why Mateo [Kovacic] is really good with that and [Bernardo Silva] and pull Phil into a central position.

“In some positions, he can keep the ball and make an extra pass, arrive into the box.

“Phil [Foden] arrived two or three times at the post and in the final third, because I know in central positions Phil is extraordinary.”

Although De Bruyne wasn't happy with the substitution, the decision to move Foden into the middle of the park almost led to Man City snatching a winning goal late in the game, with the midfielder seeing the ball ricochet off his mid-riff and off the crossbar after drifting into the centre of Liverpool's penalty area.

Despite both side's best efforts late on, the game would end in a draw, meaning that Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal head into the final ten games of the 2023/24 Premier League season with just one point separating them at the top of the table.

READ THE LATEST MAN CITY NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP