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Kevin De Bruyne explains how Man City exploited Arsenal tactical weaknesses.
Kevin De Bruyne has described how Pep Guardiola’s tactical change allowed Manchester City to defeat Arsenal, which was a crucial win.
At the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, the Citizens were victorious thanks to goals from John Stones, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne (who scored twice).
With two games remaining, Mikel Arteta’s squad currently trails Man City by two points in the standings.
De Bruyne acknowledged to Peacock that Manchester City’s success was due to a quick tactical adjustment.
He stated: “The way that Arsenal press the opposition is top, it’s class. It’s almost impossible to play from the back, especially when it’s a goal kick – it’s like a set piece, and we know we had to play longer today and we tried a couple of things in training.
“I tried to get a little bit deeper and then tried to run off Erling when he kept the ball, and I think we found that a couple of times. I think in the first half we created some chances this way, and it was important to set the tone.
“Normally we play with two number eights and I think he [Guardiola] wanted a little bit more control because of the way they press. So Gundo [Ilkay Gundogan] would be a double six and I had to choose more the moments, depending on who presses out of Xhaka and Partey – if Partey was pressing I would try to go on his back and the other way round, and it was difficult for [Rob] Holding and Gabriel.
“[They had to decide] do they have to go with me or are they staying with Erling. I couldn’t find the moments in the first half, and obviously they switched a little bit in the second half, but I was a little more free today.”
Manchester City will take a four-point lead atop the Premier League standings if they win their two remaining games, which they have against Chelsea and Brighton, respectively.