Kevin De Bruyne’s tactical brilliance permits City win the trophy race.
At St. James’ Park on Saturday, with 16 minutes remaining, Liverpool was probably starting to consider that they had a five-point lead over Manchester City. Had they played one more game, that lead would have become an absolute five-point advantage, and with City still to play at Anfield, the lead might have begun to appear fairly substantial. The champions are now within striking distance as Kevin De Bruyne scored and assisted on another, cutting the advantage to just two points.
City is still far from optimal; in the same way that Pep Guardiola’s underperforming teams frequently are, they are susceptible to balls played in behind their defensive line. It was also typical of them to give up two goals in three minutes against Newcastle; this is another habitual trait of Guardiola sides while they’re still trying to find the ideal setup out of possession. By the half, Saturday’s game was nearly a perfect illustration of how Guardiola teams may lose:
City had exhibited remarkable ball possession without producing a great deal of opportunities, but they had also given up three or four other chances in transition in addition to conceding two goals to outstanding finishes. Even though Newcastle was under some pressure, until De Bruyne entered the game, things had basically been going according to plan.
And that’s what makes City unique this season. Guardiola’s style of football has always focused on the team, positional awareness, mobility, and relationships of the group as a whole. However, recently, individual talent has saved them, which is obviously a major benefit of investing a lot of money. De Bruyne is the most bright person in terms of creativity, too. While it’s possible that some players felt that De Bruyne’s goal was lucky, it is clearly within his power to utilise Fabian Schär’s knees like a croquet hoop, rolling the ball between them and into the bottom corner. His prediction for the Oscar Bobb winner was also spot on.
De Bruyne claimed that he knew he could only last about twenty-five minutes following a five-month absence due to a hamstring injury. The other title contenders are concerned that even if it takes him an additional month to regain the ability to play 90 minutes, City will only play one top-half team between now and the start of March: Chelsea. Chelsea is currently ranked ninth and has only recently won three straight league games for the first time this season. Despite this, they continue to be wildly inconsistent.
De Bruyne has plenty of time to recover, and Erling Haaland, John Stones, Ederson, and Manuel Akanji also have time before the month that will probably decide the winner: City plays Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton, Arsenal, and Aston Villa between the first weekend of March and the first weekend of April.
Haaland is an exceptional goalscorer. Stones’ ability to play outside the centre of defence was essential in providing City with counterattack protection the previous season. He was the extra midfield player they required to make up for Haaland’s lack of deep running, which is something Guardiola’s forwards have historically done. Ederson is arguably the world’s best goalie who can play with the ball. Akanji had an excellent debut season in England, playing well all around the back four. However, De Bruyne’s comeback seems to be the most important.
Critics of Guardiola contend that his style of play can be mechanical, bordering on bloodless, and devoid of the inventiveness or spontaneity that electrifies a crowd. And to some extent, that is true. Because of this, a weak Guardiola team may control the ball and look helpless at the same time. However, each of his best teams has a player who can break the pattern; De Bruyne does this for City, just as Lionel Messi did for Barcelona. He sees things that others miss, is precise enough to find gaps that others miss, but he also possesses the self-control and tactical knowledge to avoid upsetting the form when it’s least expected.
That may come as a disappointment to fans of Phil Foden playing in central roles, but despite his recent success playing through the middle while Julian Alvárez moved to a more traditional center-forward position without Haaland, Foden is not De Bruyne and lacks the Belgian’s skill set. However, Foden remains a formidable weapon on the flank, and even when considering the England national squad, Jude Bellingham’s presence ensures that Foden will probably start there in the Euros.
It was expected that City would gel, as they frequently do in the second part of the season, despite their turbulent autumn. Although it seems doubtful that they will pull off the string of victories they have in the past, De Bruyne’s return is most likely the first step towards a championship run. Anfield on March 9th already seems essential.