Kevin De Bruyne has been a huge success at Manchester City since his switch from Wolfsburg in 2015, but recently the midfielder’s form has taken a dip.
This is primarily due to injury and being out of shape. However, Kevin had an excellent game for Belgium on Sunday against Algeria which re-sparked excitement around him for Man City fans.
The “man city vs chelsea” is the matchup of two teams that are in the top four of the Premier League. The match was a 3-1 victory for Manchester City, who have been on a winning streak.
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Even though it is just January and the season is still four months away, it was a goal worthy of winning the Premier League championship. But, with Kevin De Bruyne’s amazing 70th-minute goal clinching Manchester City’s 1-0 triumph against Chelsea, the fact is that the championship battle has been decided by a player who is utterly priceless in a league of big-money buys.
After a 12th consecutive league victory, City has a 13-point lead over Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea after this first-versus-second match. With two games in hand, third-place Liverpool sits 14 points behind City, but even if they win them, it’s tough to see Jurgen Klopp’s squad overturning an eight-point lead to win the championship.
Forget about those who suggest that in the last months of the season “anything may happen.” City are on their way to their fourth Premier League championship in five seasons, and De Bruyne’s goal, in which he sped past N’Golo Kante and curled a right-footed effort past Kepa Arrizabalaga from 25 yards, was like a chef’s kiss of approval.
– Watch ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (available in the United States only) – Don’t have ESPN? Get immediate access
“I didn’t see any pass,” De Bruyne said, “but then I noticed a tiny space between the defenders to bend it around them, and it worked.”
You may flip a coin to decide whether De Bruyne or Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is the greatest player in the Premier League. Both have a huge impact on their teams’ fortunes, but De Bruyne, maybe more than Salah, goes under the radar and doesn’t always get the respect he deserves for his incredible consistency.
However, it’s worth considering De Bruyne’s importance to City in a different light.
2 Related
Both clubs’ record acquisitions — City’s Jack Grealish and Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku — struggled to justify their massive transfer costs and contracts in this encounter. Since his £100 million move from Aston Villa last summer, Grealish has pretended to be deceived, while Lukaku’s struggles at Chelsea since his £97.5 million return from Inter Milan have been well documented and publicised by the player himself, who has spoken publicly about his dissatisfaction with the role he has been assigned by Tuchel.
Grealish and Lukaku looked like square pegs trying to fit into round holes throughout the game.
Grealish, who was used to having every offensive play directed through him at Villa, is finding it difficult to accept that he is now one of seven or eight attacking alternatives at City, and that his impact has dwindled as a result.
In the first half, the England winger missed a golden opportunity to score and only earned one meaningful free kick in the second. He has only scored three goals in all competitions this season, so it’s fair to say he isn’t delivering great value at the Etihad.
Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, and others to discuss the most recent news and debate the most important topics. ESPN+ has a live stream available (U.S. only).
Due to the high value of the two players’ contracts, City and Chelsea will be stuck with Grealish and Lukaku regardless of how well they perform. The difference between the two is that City has De Bruyne to deflect attention away from their expensive acquisition, whilst Chelsea has not. Lukaku doesn’t have the luxury of having a terrific colleague like De Bruyne, who can get his side out of a bind with a little of magic.
De Bruyne was far from a low-budget acquisition when he moved from VfL Wolfsburg for £55 million in 2015. It was a substantial sum, but he has subsequently gone out of his way to make it seem to be a bargain.
How much would it cost to acquire De Bruyne in today’s market if Grealish’s trade was for £100 million and Lukaku’s a few million less?
When questioned about De Bruyne, Guardiola stated, “We have won what we have done together, and now I want to push him further; he is a world-class player, he has modesty, is humble.” “He’s won Premier Leagues and a slew of other awards, but I believe he’s capable of more. He’s got it all.”
He is invaluable in the eyes of the city. De Bruyne is a player for whom a transfer value cannot be assigned.
Related Tags
- kevin de bruyne
- man city news
- chelsea premier league
