Guardiola explains why Sterling took Man City’s penalty vs Brighton and why De Bruyne will remain penalty taker
Raheem Sterling’s miss sparked questions as to why Kevin De Bruyne did not take Man City’s spot-kick vs Brighton, with Pep Guardiola having since provided an insight into the situation.
Last Updated: January 14, 2021 3:38 pm
Guardiola explains penalty change
Manchester City picked up a valuable 3 points in their chase for the Premier League title at home to Brighton on Wednesday. After Phil Foden had put the Manchester club 1-0 up in the first-half, the second 45 saw the spirited Seagulls fight back, and at times look as if they might nick an equaliser. In the end, though, it was not to be.
City had a chance to put the game beyond all doubt in injury time, when Kevin De Bruyne was brought down in the box, and a penalty was awarded. The Belgian international is the typical spot-kick taker for Manchester City, however it was Raheem Sterling who on this occasion stepped up, blazing his effort over the bar. Despite the miss, the Citizens held on for a nervy victory.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 11: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City looks on during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
After the match, Pep Guardiola explained why Sterling, rather than De Bruyne, was the man to strike the penalty:
“I think Kevin was tired, but I love the personality of Raheem to try it,” he said. “Next time he will score.”
“Kevin is the taker but he was struggling in the last 10 minutes, exhausted. I like guys to take responsibility to take the penalty. It was Rash and next time it will be better.”
Whilst such confidence in the England international is endearing, it would not be surprising to see De Bruyne step up when the next spot-kick is awarded in City’s favour.
Foden steps up
Game-time for Phil Foden this season has of course not proven as regular as the England international might like it to be. When competing for minutes against the light of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling, though, it is not hard to see why.
The 20-year old, though, remains one of the country’s most exciting prospects, and many would like to see him play in the European Championships this summer. Guardiola was full of praise for Foden after the match in which he scored the winner:
“His standards are higher, that is why he deserves to play. I try to judge the team on the recent past and I had the feeling that he lives his life 24 hours to play football.”
Guardiola on Phil Foden: “His standards are higher, that is why he deserves to play. I try to judge the team on the recent past and I had the feeling that he lives his life 24 hours to play football.”
— Simon Bajkowski (@spbajko) January 13, 2021
When asked about the prospect of Euro selection for his side’s prodigious midfielder, meanwhile, the Spaniard explained: “We cannot forget he played v Azpilicueta & he was outstanding. United, Wan-Bissaka, where everyone struggles, he played really well. I’m sure he is going to be selected with me, with Gareth I don’t know.”
Whilst Foden may not always play, Guardiola is no doubt ecstatic to have the attacking options at his disposal making his team selection such a difficult process.
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This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 19 | 23 | 41 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 19 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 19 | 14 | 38 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 20 | 6 | 35 |
| 5 | Liverpool FC | 19 | 15 | 34 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 18 | 16 | 33 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 17 | 7 | 32 |
| 8 | Arsenal FC | 20 | 6 | 30 |
| 9 | Aston Villa FC | 17 | 13 | 29 |
| 10 | Chelsea FC | 19 | 10 | 29 |
| 11 | Southampton FC | 19 | 3 | 29 |
| 12 | Leeds United | 19 | -3 | 26 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 20 | -12 | 23 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 19 | -8 | 22 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 18 | -12 | 19 |
| 16 | Newcastle United FC | 20 | -15 | 19 |
| 17 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 19 | -7 | 17 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 18 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 20 | -33 | 11 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 19 | -22 | 5 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 12 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 11 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 11 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 8 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 7 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 7 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 5 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 5 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 6 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Reid, Bobby | Fulham FC | 0 | 5 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dunk, Lewis | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 4 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 5 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 5 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 4 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 4 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 4 |
| Tielemans, Youri | Leicester City FC | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 4 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 4 |
| Harrison, Jack | Leeds United | 4 |
| Chilwell, Benjamin | Chelsea FC | 4 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 3 |
