Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne explains how Pep Guardiola outclassed Arsenal at Etihad on Thursday night.
City defeated Arsenal 4:1 on Thursday which gives them advantage in this season’s Premier League title race. Guardiola’s side dominated the match from start to finish, with goals from Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Erling Haaland. However Manchester City created more opportunities than the Gunners, who struggled to make an impact in the match.
De Bruyne explained Guardiola’s Master Plan
After match, De Bruyne explained how Guardiola planned to outfox Arsenal to come out at top. He told Peacock :-
“The way that Arsenal press the opposition is top, it’s class.
“It’s almost impossible to play from the back, especially when its a goal kick. It’s like a set piece, and we know we had to play longer today and we tried a couple of things in training.
“I tried to get a little bit deeper and then tried to run off Erling when he kept the ball, and I think we found that a couple of times. I think in the first half we created some chances this way, and it was important to set the tone.
“Normally we play with two number eights and I think he [Guardiola] wanted a little bit more control because of the way they press. So Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] would be a double six and I had to choose more the moments, depending on who presses out of [Granit] Xhaka and [Thomas] Partey – if Partey was pressing I would try to go on his back and the other way round, and it was difficult for [Rob] Holding and Gabriel.
“[They had to decide] do they have to go with me or are they staying with Erling. I couldn’t find the moments in the first half, and obviously they switched a little bit in the second half, but I was a little more free today.”
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