Rivals looking to knock Manchester City off their perch as Premier League champions were given a timely reminder of what the Cityzens had been missing in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian star spent the majority of the first half of the season on the sidelines injured but his impressive league return against Newcastle United on January 13th will have other clubs competing for the title more than slightly concerned.
No Surprise By KDB Impact
There will have been a sharp intake of breath amongst the Newcastle United support at St James’ Park when the fourth official lifted the board with the No.17 shining brightly. City, who are currently priced at odds of 8/15 in the outright football betting markets to retain the Premier League title this season, found themselves trailing 2-1 against the Magpies when De Bruyne took the field in the second half.
It only took the midfielder four minutes and 35 seconds before he found the back of the net for City, who are also priced at odds of 11/5 with football tips from Betfair to win the Champions League this season. De Bruyne wasn’t done there, as he provided the assist that saw City go on to win the game 3-2 in injury time.
The Premier League and the wider football world were given a reminder, as covered by the BBC at Newcastle, of just what a special talent De Bruyne is. The 32-year-old was instrumental to City claiming a history treble last season, as they went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles. A player who has seemingly improved with age, there will be plenty of excitement amongst the City faithful on the impact De Bruyne can have in the business end of the campaign.
De Bruyne Return Timed Nicely
Of course, it wasn’t ideal that City would be without their talisman in midfield due to a serious hamstring injury for such a lengthy spell. As reported by The Guardian, De Bruyne was injured on the opening night of the 2023/24 season, as the Cityzens managed to claim a 3-0 win at newly-promoted Burnley. Just over five months without a key figure in the Premier League, manager Pep Guardiola had to look to others to step up in midfield. Bernardo Silva certainly did that – the Portuguese playmaker contributed six goals and four assists in his first 17 games of the campaign.
Silva can now look forward to playing alongside De Bruyne once again, as City get ready for the push on multiple fronts in the second half of the season. The Cityzens have made a habit of stumbling in the early stages of the campaign and giving other clubs hope this might not be the year for Guardiola’s men.
City allowed Arsenal an eight-point lead in the Premier League, before storming back to claim a third consecutive English crown. De Bruyne’s return at the start of 2024 has come at a time when the reigning champions look ready to put their foot on the gas for the remainder of the campaign.
The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham knew it was only a matter of time before De Bruyne’s return and now the trio will have to rise to the challenge of trying to stop City and the Belgian from getting their hands on the top-flight trophy for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.
