Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed he loves seeing his players shout back at him on the pitch as it proves their desire to succeed.

Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was spotted telling Guardiola to 'shut up' during the 4-0 victory over Real Madrid after disagreeing with his manager's touchline instruction.

Rather than criticise the Belgian for his actions, Guardiola told the media he enjoys hearing De Bruyne, and rest of his players, get heated because it elevates the whole team and raises the standards on the pitch.

"I love it, we shout at each other and I love it," Guardiola said. "I like this step from Kevin, I like it.

"Sometimes, in games, it's a little bit flat, and I like this energy. It's not the first time, but you don't see how many times he shouts at me on the training ground. This is what we need from him, because after that, he became the best.

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"It was just part of the moment, at 2-0 up, and in the first minute, [Ilkay] Gundogan lost the ball and Kevin lost two or three in a row. We didn't need this type of game at 2-0 against Madrid, up and down and up and down.

"Kevin said 'stay calm', and after making an incredible assist, we scored a goal. How many times has that happened? Millions.

"It's football, it's not personal at all. This kind of thing must happen to be a competitive, good team."

De Bruyne has now racked up ten goals and 28 assists in all competitions for City this season. Never before has he created so many goals in one campaign for Guardiola's side, while his 38 goal contributions is bettered only by the 39 he was involved in during the 2019/20 season.

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This article was originally published on 90min as Pep Guardiola's offers remarkable response to Kevin De Bruyne telling him to 'shut up'.