Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Kevin De Bruyne after his man-of-the-match display against Nottingham Forest finally ended Man City’s winless run – but reveals fresh double injury blow
Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian delivered a man-of-the-match display as Manchester City got back to winning ways but fears that their victory came at a cost, with both Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji forced off with injuries on the night.
De Bruyne scored and assisted as City beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 for their first win in 39 days.
‘I’m so happy for him,’ Guardiola said. ‘When he’s fit, he’s so important for us. We needed it (the win). The club needed it. The players needed it. Everyone needed to win but it is just one win.’
The City manager insisted that his team’s performance was not too dissimilar to some of their other games in recent weeks. It was City’s first win since beating Southampton in October, ending a run of four consecutive league defeats.
‘It was better than the Liverpool and Bournemouth games but similar to the other games we didn’t win,’ said Guardiola.
Asked whether the difference was other players scoring instead of Erling Haaland, Guardiola refused to say so, instead saying: ‘The difference tonight was that we won.’
Pep Guardiola was delighted with Kevin De Bruyne as he delivered a vintage display against Nottingham Forest
But Nathan Ake went off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem and is set for a spell on the sidelines
Manuel Akanji was also forced off the the break and City face a nervous wait over his fitness
Guardiola revealed that Ake faces a long spell on the sidelines, with what appears to be a hamstring issue. Ake had five weeks out with a hamstring injury earlier in the season, while Akanji was forced off at half-time for Kyle Walker.
‘The problems continued with Manuel (Akanji) and Nathan (Ake). Nathan doesn’t look good. We will see tomorrow. I’m sad for Nathan, I think he will be out long,‘ the City boss said. ‘He could not continue. Manu maybe in Turin. Nathan will be longer.’
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo insisted that there was no doubt about the quality of City, despite them having a seven-game winless run going into the clash.
‘It was very difficult for us because of their quality. It’s not only Kevin De Bruyne. It’s very difficult to individually control these players. No one doubts the quality of the City players and their manager,’ said Nuno. ‘Honestly, my players went for it. We lost but we challenged ourselves.’
