Kevin De Bruyne is proving that he`s far from ready for a quieter life in leagues like MLS. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola clearly still relies heavily on him, and De Bruyne`s masterful performance in their recent 5-2 comeback victory against Crystal Palace demonstrated exactly why.
De Bruyne was exceptional, precisely when City needed him to be. Playing in a false nine role, his intelligent movement and positioning completely disoriented Crystal Palace`s defense. This created crucial spaces for teammates like Omar Marmoush and Ilkay Gundogan to exploit. Gundogan, freed from defensive duties, was able to make penetrating runs into the box, adding a classic touch to City`s attacking strategy.
Once City`s attack clicked into gear after the first half-hour (ignoring their shaky start where they conceded two goals), Crystal Palace struggled to cope. Despite being one of the Premier League`s most in-form teams, having conceded more than two goals only once since Christmas and suffering just two defeats, Oliver Glasner`s side had no answer to De Bruyne`s brilliance. His beautiful free-kick reduced the deficit to 2-1, and later, his header across goal led to Marmoush`s goal after Gundogan`s initial miss. Early in the second half, with remarkable awareness, De Bruyne flicked the ball to Mateo Kovacic, who then scored the goal that put City ahead.
Throughout the match, De Bruyne`s passing was simply sublime. His pinpoint cross to Marmoush, delivered through a narrow gap, deserved an assist, as did many other of his passes. Positioned just outside the penalty area, he seemed to have ample time to survey the field, anticipate runs, and deliver perfect passes.
This performance evoked memories of De Bruyne`s central role in City`s attack before Erling Haaland`s arrival, where he was the focal point. Everyone in the attack benefited, as evidenced by the five goals scored by five different players. Having experimented with various attacking setups during Haaland`s injury absence, Pep Guardiola appears to have rediscovered a winning formula.
This victory is crucial for City, moving them up to fourth place in the league. However, with Chelsea and Newcastle United having games in hand, City`s Champions League qualification is still precarious. The team`s season remains on a knife-edge, and the consequences of De Bruyne`s performance dipping, or another injury setback, are almost unthinkable. His importance to City is as significant as ever.
This reliance on De Bruyne is further highlighted by City`s defensive vulnerabilities. Young full-backs Nico O`Reilly and Rico Lewis were frequently caught out of position. Lewis, in particular, was punished when he lost track of Eberechi Eze early in the game. General defensive disorganization also allowed Chris Richards to score from a corner. It took a VAR offside call to prevent Eze from scoring a second goal, which seemed to spur De Bruyne into taking complete control of the match.
It`s concerning for City that they needed a 33-year-old player, who has battled injuries, to rescue the game. Nevertheless, if De Bruyne can maintain this level of performance, he could potentially conclude his City career in spectacular fashion.
