Fresh from watching his summer signing net three times in the 5-1 win over Bournemouth, Manuel Pellegrini declared that the England winger will continue to improve his finishing.
Wilfried Bony in a 4-4-2.
“He didn’t lose confidence because I spoke with him immediately after he came off,” Pellegrini told journalists in the post-match press conference.
“He didn’t play well but all of the players can have a bad day.
“It was important for him and the team to change his position today. I thought that near Bony he could have a lot of space.
“Kevin did very well as he did against Newcastle and I think the system allowed Raheem to score more goals.”
Yaya Toure was withdrawn at the halfway stage of Saturday’s game after he missed the win over Newcastle before the international break.
Pellegrini explained his decision to take Yaya off and revealed that the Ivorian will be available for Sevilla on Wednesday night.
“It was not thinking about Sevilla, it was thinking about Yaya,” Manuel said.
“He just played 45 minutes in the Champions League before he got in an injury.
“In the first ten days of the international break he did nothing so I thought 45 minutes was enough.
“It was not an important injury but one which prevented him from playing games.
“We start thinking about Sevilla tomorrow – we must focus our mind on each game. Bournemouth are not an easy team.”
City continue their Champions League campaign against last season’s Europa League winners Sevilla on Wed 21 Oct at 7.45pm. Make sure you’re there to support the team. Buy your tickets now Adults from £25 and U16s £5.
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Show your support for City U19s who also face Sevilla, on the same day as the first team, in the UEFA Youth League. Kick-off is 5pm at the Academy Stadium. Tickets available now; Cityzens can redeem a free match ticket for this fixture now and non-Cityzens can purchase tickets.
