Kevin De Bruyne admits two Arsenal players found it really tough vs Man City

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Kevin De Bruyne feels Arsenal duo Rob Holding and Gabriel Magalhaes found it difficult to deal with himself and Erling Haaland last night. 

The Gunners fell to a 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as they were completely outclassed by City.

Arsenal came into the game off the back of a disappointing run of form, where they dropped points against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton.

Last night displayed the gulf in class between the sides, despite the fact they are still battling it out for a Premier League title.

Of course, Mikel Arteta was without William Saliba for the crucial clash and it has to be said that Arsenal have missed the Frenchman over the past few weeks.

Rob Holding struggled to deal with the threat of Erling Haaland, while Gabriel Magalhaes didn’t enjoy his best game.

And Kevin De Bruyne told Peacock TV after the game that both players endured a difficult night due to the way City set up.

De Bruyne on Holding and Gabriel

De Bruyne ended the night with two goals, while Haaland finally grabbed a late goal after being denied by Aaron Ramsdale throughout the game.

The duo played off each other brilliantly and caused Arsenal’s backline serious problems.

And De Bruyne says this was due to a slight tactical tweak from Pep Guardiola.

“I think normally we play with two No 8s,” he said. “He wanted a little bit more control because of the way that they press. 

“So, normally Gundogan would be like a double six, so I had to choose more the moments, depending on who presses out of Xhaka or Partey.

“If Partey was pressing, I would try to go on his back and then the opposite [for Xhaka]. It was difficult for Holding and Gabriel, do I need to go with me or am I staying with Erling?

“I could find the moments in the first-half and obviously they switched a little bit in the second-half. But I was a little bit more free today.”

Guardiola’s plan to play through Arsenal’s press worked perfectly on the night and City played into Haaland’s feet throughout the game.

De Bruyne found himself with plenty of space far too often and while Arsenal’s centre-back pairing struggled, you have to sympathise with them slightly.

Arsenal’s midfield three struggled to keep tabs on De Bruyne, which left Holding and Gabriel exposed.