Following a convincing loss to United ahead of the international break, City are unbeaten in all competitions, solely dropping points away to Newcastle last week. City’s inconsistent displays through the winter months dismissed a third Premier League title in five years, but the return of Kevin De Bruyne is partially responsible for a late season resurgence.
De Bruyne’s lengthy injury left City without the Belgian in crushing domestic losses to Leicester, Spurs, and Liverpool, but more importantly it crippled Manuel Pellegrini’s attack. Excluding a 4-0 defeat over minnows, Aston Villa, City underwent a period where they failed to score in their remaining four matches in March, further highlighting their issues upfront.
In many ways, De Bruyne’s return to the City XI equating to instant success epitomizes the club’s identity. City are a considerably good side based around the individual talent of their best players opposed to the collective effort displayed by table-toppers Spurs and Leicester. Where those sides’ contrasting styles provide organized and efficient defensive instructions, City have relied on individual brilliance from their attackers to overshadow a long-term issue.
Nonetheless, City’s positive start to the season involved two wide wingers, and David Silva producing arguably his best form for the club, leaving many to question De Bruyne’s role in a side desperately requiring defensive solidity. Pellegrini’s decision to adopt a 4-2-3-1 offered more flexibility to City’s attack, and was a response to midfield issues in Europe — the wide players would drift centrally, and the full-backs ventured forward in a 4-4-2, but now City could field direct wide players, and provide positional freedom to their no.10.
De Bruyne’s outstanding season at Wolfsburg witnessed the Belgian record a European best 20 assists and 10 goals, which further assured his growth subsequent to his departure from Stamford Bridge. However, the issue at Chelsea involved the Belgian’s limited playing time at the club, and his unwillingness to fight for a starting role, according to Jose Mourinho.
“I wanted to keep him and he told me that it was not in his personality to be competing for a position in the team,” said Mourinho last summer. “He needed a team where he knows he can play every game. He needs to know that he is important. So I was not happy when he left.”
Still, De Bruyne never encountered such issues at City because of his excessive transfer fee, and constant injuries throughout the side. Raheem Sterling is just returning from injury, Silva has missed bits and pieces of the current campaign, and Samir Nasri is also easing himself back into the squad following his long-term absence.
Essentially this deprived City of playing their best attacking quartet for majority of the season, but it ensured De Bruyne was able to settle into English football. Frankly, De Bruyne’s versatility is also key — his role in wide areas offers precise crosses from the byline, and his ability to link play in a central position is comparable to Silva’s.
Where Silva slaloms laterally across the pitch, De Bruyne’s ability to drop into midfield or dart into either channel is industrious. What separates De Bruyne from Silva, however, is the Belgian’s goal-threat in the final third, whereas Silva isn’t renowned for his finishing and is often reluctant to shoot. More importantly the former’s intelligent movement results in the two players combining opposed to clogging space between the lines, which is often an issue when two creative midfielders are fielded in the same area.
Moreover, De Bruyne has excelled in a City side that have been more pragmatic, and consistently punishing opponents in transition. City’s most cohesive method attack offers quick combinations in half spaces before a pull back cross is delivered around the six-yard box — yet, De Bruyne, on the other hand, made an instant impact on his return at Bournemouth to showcase City can excel in a various manner.
Silva dispossessed Charlie Daniels near his box, and Aguero quickly clipped the loose ball over the defence for the onrushing Spaniard, who back-heeled the pass into the path of De Bruyne to double City’s lead. The Belgian’s vital away goal at Paris Saint-Germain followed a similar trend when Fernando intercepted a loose pass from Blaise Matuidi and located De Bruyne charging into space beyond David Luiz to fire a powerful shot past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Even coming off the bench, De Bruyne’s appreciation of space ignited a quick turnaround against a West Brom side that flustered City prior to the Belgian’s introduction. While De Bruyne showcased his threat on the counter-attack, he’s also developed a quick understanding with Silva and Aguero: City’s best players who were severely underperforming during his absence.
De Bruyne’s combination down the left with Aguero and Silva was the sole fascinating feat in a truly poor second leg between City and PSG. It also saw De Bruyne’s ability to win a match on his own as his superb curling effort bamboozled Trapp. Fittingly, even the Belgian’s return to Stamford Bridge was significant.
Neither John Obi Mikel, nor Cesc Fabregas were capable of negating De Bruyne’s threat between the lines, and the Belgian cleverly orchestrated Aguero’s opening goals via quick breaks beginning at Chelsea’s box. Perhaps De Bruyne is another phase in City’s individualistic surge, but he also represented a player his former employers desperately require.
The Belgian international’s inclusion in the XI provides variety, guile, creativity, and goals in a hybrid of a 4-4-2/4-2-3-1, and with several core players aging and possibly departing following Pep Guardiola’s arrival, De Bruyne is the ideal player the Spaniard would build his side around. Coincidentally, Guardiola was humbled by De Bruyne’s quick movement in transition last season, as Wolfsburg thrashed Bayern Munich to hand the German side their first defeat.
“He may not be very expressive but then he impresses you with his analysis of the game. He plays well with the ball, scores goals, is versatile, can play in three or four positions and is very good technically,” said Pellegrini.
“He may be a little too quick [rushed] at times but that’s only to be understood. That comes from playing German football which is very fast, although the English style is just as quick.”
It leaves many to question whether City’s title challenge would have derailed had De Bruyne remained fit — although Pellegrini’s men still suffer from an identity crisis and maintaining balance in the defensive phase, the Belgian has been a devastating efficient attacker when fit. At Wolfsburg, he was undoubtedly a top 5 performer in the world that didn’t receive proper recognition playing in a league that’s heavily focused on Bayern Munich from an outsiders’ perspective.
Not only has De Bruyne validated his price tag in his first season at the Etihad, but the Belgian could be the key to the cohesion Guardiola’s tasked with providing when he arrives. At 24, he’s been awarded Bundesliga player of the year, and is possibly City’s most important player from an attacking perspective in their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
Real are culpable of indiscipline and being disjointed in central areas which benefits a cunning De Bruyne, who will seek space at every opportunity and provide a proper task for defensive midfielder Casemiro. Since his return to the XI at the start of the month, De Bruyne has been the catalyst in City’s attack, and a two legged showdown with Madrid offers the Belgian an opportunity to justify his ability.
Another influential performance against an elite European side would validate De Bruyne’s emergence as a genuine world-class player.
