Pep Guardiola allays Kevin De Bruyne injury fears after revealing why he came off for Man City vs Bayern Munich

Pep Guardiola has confirmed his decision to take off Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Bayern Munich was a tactical one.

De Bruyne had just had treatment for a knock on his leg before being replaced and he reacted badly to the decision. He ignored Guardiola as came off for Julian Alvarez and then waved a dismissive hand after walking past the City manager.

Guardiola said the decision was entirely tactical and dismissed De Bruyne’s reaction, saying making those decisions was his biggest strength as a manager.

“Tactical decision. Julian for him,” Guardiola said when asked why he made the call. “I saw the performance and took the decision, in that moment we needed extra energy from Julian. I am here to take the decisions and it is my biggest quality.”

De Bruyne’s reaction to coming off couldn’t take the shine off a superb City performance, with the Blues in total control of the tie after their 3-0 win.

Guardiola was particularly pleased with the contribution of his defenders on the night and their ability to shut down Bayern’s threat on the break.

“How we defended deep, how we controlled the transitions of them, even though it’s impossible to control them,” Guardiola said when asked what he most pleased about.

“The back four how they read that situation without stress and without [being] anxious. Knowing in those types of games you are going to suffer and struggle. We were there and in the moments to make good actions.”

Asked about the display of Ruben Dias, Guardiola said: “The last two months he’s amazing. Manu, John, Nathan also, it was amazing, to handle Leroy and Coman defensively you have to be good in the duels, all the time they have incredible players up front and in the pocket. It’s so difficult to read.”