"I ain't ever seen Lampard, Modric, Gerrard, Scholes get hooked" - Podcaster mocks Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne after being subbed vs Liverpool
UK podcaster Cams gave a grim verdict of Kevin De Bruyne's outing in Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Liverpool by comparing him to Premier League legends.
De Bruyne played a key role in City's opener at Anfield on Sunday (March 10). The Belgian playmaker's clever corner met John Stones who put his side 1-0 up.
However, the 32-year-old struggled to get a foothold in the game beyond that point. He unusually lost possession 10 times and won just 25% of his ground duels.
Mateo Kovacic replaced Kevin De Bruyne in the 69th minute of Manchester City's draw against Liverpool. Pep Guardiola looked to react to Alexis Mac Allister's equalizer from the penalty spot.
This didn't go down well with the Belgium international and he exchanged words with Guardiola as he headed to the bench. He's been in fine form since returning from a long-term hamstring injury, registering two goals and 12 assists in as many games.
However, his outing against Liverpool was a disappointing one by his standards. Kovacic gave the Cityzens more control in the middle of the park as the two title rivals settled on a draw.
This meant Arsenal remained top of the league, with a one-point lead over Jurgen Klopp's Merseysiders. City are third, two points off the Gunners with 10 games remaining in the title race.
Cams highlighted that De Bruyne's substitution came in such a vital game. He alluded to the likes of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard and Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard while speaking on the DR Sports podcast:
"I ain't ever seen Lampard, (Luka) Modric, Gerrard, (Paul) Scholes get hooked in a title game."
Guardiola explained why he decided to bring the veteran midfielder off after the game. The Spanish coach said (via The Sun):
"I knew what we were missing, we missed keeping the ball. After (he went off) we did it better. But, listen, Kevin… what can I say for Kevin… we need him and he is important."
Kevin De Bruyne has won five Premier League titles at Manchester City. He's regarded as one of English football's greatest-ever playmakers, registering 98 goals and 166 assists in 370 games across competitions since arriving at the Etihad in August 2015.
Roy Keane liked Kevin De Bruyne's response to being subbed off in Manchester City's draw with Liverpool
Kevin De Bruyne's frosty reaction to being brought off by Guardiola was met by appraisal from Roy Keane. The iconic former Manchester United captain covered the game with Sky Sports and he felt the Manchester City boss made the right decision:
"I enjoyed that. I think it was the right decision. He was off it a little bit. Pep is the manager, he has to look at the bigger picture. We can’t praise Kevin de Bruyne enough, obviously he’s a world class player."
Keane touched on Guardiola's decision to leave his technical area and explain the substitution to the Manchester City superstar:
"He was disappointed. Pep’s gone over to give him a pep talk. But I love the way he (Pep) answered after. Listen, he can can show me the next time how disappointed he is."
De Bruyne had only been taken off once before this game in the league since his return from injury in January. That was in the 71st minute in a 3-1 win against Burnley (January 31).