Kevin De Bruyne too important to be rested in busy schedule by Manchester City - Pep Guardiola

Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will have to keep producing in the coming weeks, while Pep Guardiola is looking for his Manchester City side to be better in front of goal. "Last season we scored more goals than the champions (Liverpool) but unfortunately we conceded too much. We have to score more, everybody knows that, but it doesn't depend on one specific player," he said.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will not be rested in the coming weeks as he is crucial to the club's hopes as they struggle to mount a title challenge.

City are ninth in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Liverpool, and have four games over the next 10 days, including a League Cup quarter-final at Arsenal.

De Bruyne has played 90 minutes in each of City's last seven league matches and also played twice for Belgium last month.

Premier League

Foden has 'gone up another level' - De Bruyne

8 hours ago

• Mourinho calls Modric about Spurs return - Euro Papers
• Ings new contract imminent, Everton line up Khedira coup - Inside Football
• Eurosport to air ‘Loving Maradona’ documentary on Monday evening

Asked if the midfielder would be rested for Saturday's trip to Southampton, Guardiola told reporters: "No, right now, no. He's too important for us.

"He's not going to rest. He rested in the Champions League, he rested in other games in the previous weeks... Right now we need him."

With City's main strikers struggling to score, Guardiola is relying heavily on his midfielders and wingers for goals.

Argentine striker Sergio Aguero has yet to open his account in the league this season, with injuries limiting his time on the pitch, while Gabriel Jesus has only netted twice.

Mourinho calls Modric about Spurs return - Euro Papers

Guardiola said City must create more chances and compared the number of goals they have scored with how many they had at this stage of their title-winning seasons under the Spaniard.

"The reality is comparing the 40 goals we scored in the first 12 fixtures in the year when we won our first Premier League (in 2018), 36 for our second title (in 2019) and last season, we had scored 35 by this stage. This year we have 18.

"Last season we scored more goals than the champions (Liverpool) but unfortunately we conceded too much. We have to score more, everybody knows that, but it doesn't depend on one specific player," he added.

"It is not just the responsibility of the strikers... Everybody is involved to create more clear chances."

The Emirates FA Cup

'Don't understand how we survived' - Guardiola hits out at 'unacceptable' schedule

20/04/2024 at 20:03

Champions League

'We were better than them' - Guardiola bemoans missed chances as City suffer exit

18/04/2024 at 09:02

Olympic Games Paris 2024

Exclusive: Why Guardiola loves 'incredible' Olympics, shares Barcelona memories

17/04/2024 at 06:40