Vital Man City suggested that Pep Guardiola should start Kevin De Bruyne in Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, but there’s no guarantee he will make a U-turn after previously dropping him.
Guardiola benched De Bruyne in City’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, instinct the decision to leave out his top-assister and chief playmaker was purely tactical, but Paul Robinson believes there may be ‘issues’ with the two behind the scenes.
He told Football Insider days ago, saying: “I think Guardiola is overthinking his team selection. Look, we do not know what is happening behind the scenes. There may be issues. We do not know the levels the players are at. We are not the ones monitoring them.”
De Bruyne has scored three goals with 17 assists from 28 games in all competitions this season, so his output has been effective. Guardiola hasn’t been pleased with the 31-year-old in recent weeks, with only two assists from his last seven outings, so it’s little wonder he was dropped.
De Bruyne was an unused substitute in City’s 4-2 win over Tottenham in January 19 and had 31 minutes from the bench in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat, so he’s amassed just 108 minutes of football from their last 270.
The Belgian international impressed off the bench last week, however, by creating more chances than his teammates, so he deserves the chance to prove himself.
In other news, Pep Guardiola needs Kyle Walker to turn form around this season
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