The numbers around Manchester City’s recent form make for impressive reading. Pep Guardiola’s team have won their last eight matches in-a-row in all competitions, scoring 21 goals in the process. Erling Haaland recently netted his 45th goal of the season while Kevin de Bruyne became the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League assists.
Ryan Giggs is now the only player above the Belgian in the all-time list for the most assists in Premier League history, but the Welsh winger played a record 632 times in the division for Manchester United. De Bruyne, on the other hand, has only played 327 games in the Premier League.
De Bruyne still has some way to go to match Giggs’ tally of 162 assists, but the Belgian is already the best midfielder in Premier League history. Nobody can match him for what he brings to the Manchester City team. De Bruyne’s skill set sets him apart from the rest of the competition, both in present day terms and historically.
Guardiola’s system wouldn’t work without de Bruyne at the heart of it. He is crucial to the way City use the ball, but De Bruyne’s vision and ability to pick a pass from anywhere on the pitch means they never control possession just for the sake of it. De Bruyne is the one who makes Manchester City so dangerous.
“(Kevin) is exceptional. Always he’s committed, a guy who likes to play football, but needs rhythm, he has to play (with intensity),” said Guardiola after de Bruyne’s sparkling performance in the 4-1 away win over Southampton in the Premier League. “Some players need to play at 30% or 40%. He’s a guy who needs to play every action (at) a high, high level, high intensity, at 80/90%. He needs to play with speed.
“It is so difficult to find. When one player has this 80/90% intensity, he has the ability to see the passes more than when being calmer or while walking. The normal players, when you walk, you see everything. But when you run a high speed, you are not able to see what happened. He’s completely the opposite. That’s why he is an exceptional player.”
Of course, Guardiola is accustomed to working with some of the best central operators in the game. He had the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez in his great Barcelona team while Thiago Alcantara was central to the success he enjoyed during three seasons as Bayern Munich manager.
In terms of his skill set, de Bruyne is arguably the most complete midfielder Guardiola has ever coached. He is more than capable of circulating the ball to maintain control of possession, but de Bruyne can also carry the ball between the lines. He can pick a pass from deep, he can play a pass around the corner and he can shoot from distance.
This season, de Bruyne has been pushed forward into a more advanced position where he can have more of an influence on the attacking third of the pitch. Guardiola has deployed Rodri and John Stones as a double pivot in the central midfield area and this has given Ilkay Gundogan and de Bruyne freedom ahead of them.
Last summer’s capture of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund also changed the dynamic for de Bruyne, with the Norwegian striker giving Manchester City the sort of cutting edge in front of goal they have lacked since the departure of Sergio Aguero. De Bruyne now has a focal point to play into and around.
Haaland’s addition has raised some questions about the profile of City as a team unit. The defending Premier League champions have been easier to play through with the 22-year-old leading the line. For de Bruyne, though, having a finisher of Haaland’s calibre will only lift his own numbers.
Now 31 years old, Manchester City might have to come up with a succession plan for de Bruyne before too long. Liverpool’s struggles this season should be a warning to City over what can happen if evolution stops. City can’t afford to rest on their laurels even with so much success coming their way.
For the time being, though, de Bruyne is the heartbeat of Manchester City. He can still achieve plenty more in English and European soccer. After their first-leg demolition of Bayern Munich, City are the odds-on favourites to finally win the Champions League this season. It’s in the Premier League, though, where the Belgian is really showing his quality as one of the all-time greats.
