Pep Guardiola Discusses Manchester City’s Form and Kevin De Bruyne’s Future

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola addressed reporters in advance of Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Feyenoord, scheduled for a 20:00 GMT kick-off. The following constitutes the main points from his press briefing: Guardiola expressed his belief that the team’s current performance slump “will pass” given that “the desire is there to change it and we are going to try”. Addressing questions about potential alterations to reverse the team’s fortunes, Guardiola stated: “The players have played a lot of minutes. We have players who are injured. It’s unusual. I think in the situation, we have to go direct to our principles – change less more than ever.” He noted that the team “create a lot of chances” but are not converting as many goals as in prior seasons. Guardiola further commented: “It is not normal that John [Stones] is our top scorer after Erling Haaland.” When questioned about an excessive dependence on Haaland, he responded: “We are lucky to have Erling. Every game, he has three or four chances. One day he scores two or three.” He indicated that City “will have to adapt” due to their current injury list if they intend to improve their goal-scoring rate, but he rejected the notion that his squad is becoming too old to compete at the highest level. Providing additional comments on the recent sequence of results, Guardiola stated: “Our standards have to continue to be there – but they can also drop. Tell me of one team whose haven’t after what we have done for many, many years? There’s a lot of minimal factors that are the reason. If it was one reason I would take it, but it’s not as simple.” He conveyed that he had not anticipated five consecutive losses, but stressed that attention should be directed towards performances rather than merely results. He further added: “The beginning of the season was really good, but we are not consistent enough or solid in every aspect.” Addressing Kevin de Bruyne’s return to peak form following his injury, Guardiola commented: “He’s fighting to come back to his best. When Kevin can train fully, he will give us something because he’s unique. It would make no sense if I said the opposite.” Regarding De Bruyne’s future, Guardiola added: “I don’t know. That is up to Kevin – whether that is the end of the next one, or the next one, or the next one. Like David Silva, he will decide when is best for him and the team. He will not want to be in the position where he can’t play every three days. When he’s available, he has to play.”