By Willow Austin
Published on 2024-04-26 09:23:55
Pep Guardiola stated that Phil Foden’s special quality, which Kevin De Bruyne lacks, is the ability to play in multiple positions as both players featured in the center in recent matches.
Manchester City easily defeated Brighton on Thursday with a 4-0 win, with both Foden and De Bruyne scoring goals.
De Bruyne opened the scoring with a stylish diving header, marking his first-ever Premier League goal with a header. Foden then added another goal to make it 3-0 before halftime.
Julian Alvarez scored the final goal of the match, marking his first Premier League goal since January 2023 and becoming one of the players with 30 goal contributions in the league this season.
In the absence of Erling Haaland, who was unfit for the match, Guardiola strategically placed Alvarez in a wider role to create space for Foden and De Bruyne to exploit Brighton’s defensive line.
“Phil can play in more positions than Kevin,” said the City boss as he explained his tactics and decision to play without recognized wingers.
He added, “The way they defend, we decide to play that way without wingers, more fullbacks. They did really well. We found them with the process for Bernardo. They did exceptional and that provoked the spaces for them.”
Man City Five Wins Away From Becoming League Champions
If Pep Guardiola’s side can win their remaining five league matches, they will make history by becoming the first team to win four consecutive league titles, and Guardiola is determined to achieve this goal.
They will face Nottingham Forest on Sunday, aiming to close the gap to league leaders Arsenal. Despite being one point behind, City are favorites to win the title with a game in hand.
Guardiola acknowledged that the match against Nottingham Forest will be challenging due to their pace and ability to punish any team on their best day. “But this will be a tricky one because Nottingham are so fast and we have to prepare well.”
He also mentioned that after Sunday’s match, they “have the next two games against Wolves and Fulham we have long weeks.”
