But if he was not decisive – notably because Erling Haaland did not transform one of his caviars – KDB multiplied the key passes (7) against Tom Thumb of the Premier League. A reassuring return to business, in line with his performance against Crystal Palacedespite his stoppage at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He was finally taken out by Pep Guardiola in the 81st minute of play. A change which did not really please the Red Devil, who had a small discussion with his coach at the time of his exit.
Guardiola was also asked about this in the post-match press conference: “De Bruyne seemed a little upset after his substitution, is everything okay?”, asked a journalist in the room. “Oh yes, he didn't throw up today and didn't feel bad”the Spanish coach immediately replied, dodging the question a little.
If De Bruyne seemed to want to continue the meeting, Guardiola dotted the “i”s: “No no no. The boss is me. At 3-0 after 75 minutes (KDB came out six minutes later, Editor's note), I prefer to have him sitting next to me, on the bench.
“We focus on Real”
The replacement of Kevin De Bruyne is not very surprising. Victory was assured against Luton Town – and allows the Citizens to take the lead in the championship following the defeats of Liverpool and Arsenal – but above all the extremely important return match against Real Madrid awaits Guardiola's men this Wednesday. And this time the Spaniard of course has his master playing in the middle of the game.
“We are already focusing on this meeting”, explained Guardiola. “I'm going to analyze the images to see how they might surprise us in terms of positioning. I think Carlo Ancelotti, with his experience, can still do something special. We have to prepare, while trying to impose our way of playing and put pressure on Real in this way.”
