Heated Exchange Unfolds Between Kevin De Bruyne & Pep Guardiola, Leaves Manchester City Fans Divided- “Pep Is Not Serious”

The fight between two English soccer aces can’t get more tense. Liverpool and Manchester City are battling for the Premier League title in a high-intensity clash. The game swinging like a pendulum has seen Manchester City take the lead initially, with defender John Stones scoring in the 23rd minute. But the Sky Blues looked unsettled as they conceded a penalty to the Reds, which was scored by Alexis MacAllister. Nevertheless, fans were baffled when, surprisingly, the goalkeeper for City, Kevin De Bruyne, was taken off by Pep Guardiola in the 69th minute, giving mixed reactions.

The drama did not stop after De Bruyne was subbed off. While leaving, the annoyed player had a word with Pep. The City manager replaced him and Julian Alvarez with Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku respectively. This led to the fans reacting with a lot of emotion. The Spanish coach was then seen explaining something back later.

Manchester City rage after Kevin De Bruyne was sent off by Pep Guardiola

Exploding on X(previously Twitter) fans were seen taking both sides.

One user was spontaneous in expressing his distress about Pep’s decision. This could be the first time the City manager didn’t feel that the Belgian would remain till the end.

This fan below thinks that it was a usual argument. Hinting that these arguments were a part of their relationship, he thinks that was a family bonding seeing Pep explaining De Bruyne.

Meanwhile, this netizen took the other route, criticizing the 32-year-old for not making an impact in big games. Kevin De Bruyne has the top assists for Manchester City helping in 107 goals. Nevertheless, his contribution to today’s goals was not considered impactful.

READ MORE – Pep Guardiola Settles Erling Haaland vs Trent Alexander-Arnold Altercation With Classy Gesture

This one had no doubts about the midfielder’s status, declaring him to be the treble-winner’s best player.

Was Kevin De Bruyne a bit off today? One user thinks so. Not satisfied with De Bruyne’s passing, the used felt he played like a child.

One netizen feels that De Bruyne had to stay till the end for Liverpool to finish well. Instead, he chose Erling Haaland accountable and felt that he should have been off.

It was evident that City fans were frustrated that de Bruyne left the pitch. Even though some felt that he wasn’t up to his regular potential they expected more time from him. But the star despite being out for 5 months is already proving his worth.

READ MORE – “I’m a Loser”- Pep Guardiola Rejects Jurgen Klopp’s ‘Best Manager in the World’ Praise With Harsh Reality Check

Pep Guardiola opens up about De Bruyne spat

Meanwhile, the former Barcelona manager explained that De Bruyne was taken off as a strategic plan. Since Liverpool was on regular attack in the second half Guardiola felt that he needed a midfielder that could hold the possession instead of pressing. Speaking after the game Pep Guardiola stated, “That’s good. Have a chance next game to prove it. We need a player who keeps the ball. It’s not about pressing. Kovacic is really good at that. We were happy with Kevin. It’s not a problem. We’re fine,” revealing that he has more opportunities to prove himself.

On the other hand, De Bruyne has become a pillar for Manchester City after returning from injury. The assist king has scored just 2 goals but provided 13 assists in 13 games in 2024. Nevertheless, the game ended in a deadlock with no further progress in goals for either side.