Manchester City is anxiously waiting to hear if Kevin De Bruyne will be able to play in the upcoming match against Arsenal. De Bruyne had to come off during the last game against Inter Milan and Pep Guardiola decided to substitute him at half time. Guardiola hopes to have a clearer picture of De Bruyne’s fitness in the next two days. If De Bruyne is unable to play, it would be a significant setback for Manchester City, similar to Martin Odegaard’s absence for Arsenal. Guardiola stated, ‘We will evaluate the situation tonight and hopefully have more information tomorrow. The doctors advised me that he was not fit to continue playing, but I was already considering making a change at half time.’
Kevin De Bruyne is in suspense as he awaits news on his physical condition following an injury he sustained during the match against Inter.
Pep Guardiola mentioned that he intended to take De Bruyne out at the halfway point, even though he was dealing with an injury.
The Belgian player appeared to have strained a muscle when he was tackled by Yann Sommer.
“When you find yourself isolated and giving away possession easily, it opens up the opportunity for a counterattack that is hard to defend against. You need to be more precise, especially on the left side with Kevin. Losing the ball without pressure can be dangerous because the opposition can capitalize on it,” Rodri started his first game of the season, and Phil Foden has yet to complete a full 90 minutes as Arsenal comes to town. Guardiola faces some tough decisions in terms of team selection in the upcoming matches.
“I’m pleased with our performance,” Guardiola said. “We still have room for improvement and it’s not even October yet. It’s tough to break down a team like Inter, but we created some good chances. Our performance was much better than in the final two years ago.”
City had not dropped points in a home Champions League group stage match since 2019 and look confident in their ability to navigate through to the knockout rounds without too much trouble. Inter felt aggrieved at having to stay overnight in the North West, with manager Simone Inzaghi sarcastically mentioning that he didn’t know Manchester Airport “closes early.” Despite this, they could have snatched a win at the Etihad Stadium.
Rodri and Phil Foden got some valuable playing time against the team from Italy.
Simone Inzaghi expressed his frustration with Inter having to stay in Manchester overnight after their match. He mentioned feeling despair when he thought Mkhitaryan would score, but praised the team for their strong performance against City. He highlighted the importance of playing as a united team and creating good chances, despite admitting they could have taken better advantage of them. Inzaghi emphasized the need for teamwork to make it difficult for any opponent.