Kevin De Bruyne has described how Pep Guardiola's tactical change enabled Manchester City to defeat Arsenal, which was a crucial victory.
The Citizens defeated the Manchester City on Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium, a victory that might determine the league's champion. John Stones, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne each scored twice. With two games remaining, Man City has a two-game lead over Mikel Arteta's squad and is now only two points behind Arsenal in the standings.
De Bruyne admitted to Peacock that a quick tactical adjustment was what gave Manchester City the advantage.
"The way Arsenal press the opposition is top, it's class," he said. Playing from the back is nearly impossible, especially when it's a goal kick; it's similar to a set piece, and we know we have to play for longer today; we tried a few things in practice.
"I tried to get a little bit deeper, then when Erling maintained the ball, I attempted to sprint off him, and I think we discovered it a number of times. This helped us set the tone and I believe we generated several opportunities in the first half.
"Normally, we play with two number eights, but because of the way their press, I believe Guardiola wanted a little bit more control. Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] would be a double six as a result, and I would have to pick my moments more carefully depending on which of Xhaka and Partey pressed; if Partey was pressing, I would aim to go on his back, and vice versa; this was challenging for [Rob] Holding and Gabriel.
"[They had to pick] whether they should stay with Erling or come with me. I had trouble finding the right opportunities in the first half, and they clearly changed things up a bit in the second, but today I felt a little more liberated.
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