Why Kevin De Bruyne didn’t get to celebrate Man City’s masterclass over Arsenal
When questioned about his celebration after Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, Kevin De Bruyne’s response was quite melancholy.
De Bruyne played an exceptional game for Pep Guardiola’s team, scoring two goals and providing his 16th assist of the season.
Alongside Erling Haaland, who also scored a goal and provided two assists, they dominated Arsenal as City closed the gap to the league leaders to two points with this crucial result in the title race. Manchester City still have two games in hand.
Despite being substituted for Julian Alvarez in the second half, De Bruyne could not fully enjoy the post-match celebrations.
He was awarded the Man of the Match for his outstanding performance, which made him busy with media obligations and did not leave him with much time to spend with his teammates.
Asked how he celebrated the mammoth win and performance, De Bruyne told the Daily Star: “To be fair, by doing about 15 interviews. When I got back to the dressing room, most of the team was gone.”
During his media appearances, De Bruyne spoke with various outlets, including NBC and BT Sport, who broadcasted the game live in the UK.
Kevin De Bruyne on how he celebrated #ManCity's win over Arsenal: "To be fair, by doing about 15 interviews. When I got back to the dressing room, most of the team was gone…" [via @CrossyDailyStar]
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 27, 2023
De Bruyne provided insight into the tactical adjustments that Manchester City made to dominate Arsenal, a team that hasn’t defeated City in the Premier League since 2015.
He revealed that City altered their playing style by sacrificing their build-up play and adopting a more direct approach, with a focus on targeting Rob Holding and frequently finding De Bruyne and Haaland in open space.
“When they play man-to-man we have to go a bit longer because there is no space to play short passes,” De Bruyne explained to BT Sport.
“In the second half, it was 50/50, they are a very class team and hard to play against. We had to be at our best today and I think we were.
“I think we set up a bit differently rather than with the two 8s, I had a little bit more the freedom to go left and right, who was putting pressure from them between Partey and Xhaka and trying to find space.”
On Sunday, Manchester City will seek to extend their remarkable winning streak when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.
Why Kevin De Bruyne didn’t get to celebrate Man City’s masterclass over Arsenal
