Kevin De Bruyne is arguably one of the best number 10s in the game right now, and has been since his re-emergence while playing for Wolfsburg. His prowess for City will come as no surprise for long-term viewers of the magical Belgian playmaker, as he has produced consistent great performances at every club he has ever played for.
At least when he was picked for the team… Chelsea’s seeming reluctance to give him a chance will remain a mystery to most, and their error of judgement is even more pronounced now that he is flourishing for Premier League rivals Man City.
In the Bundesliga, while playing for Wolfsburg he was the figurehead in the over achieving Wolfsburg side, and was named Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2015. Many expected him to move to either Borussia Dortmund, or even Bayern Munich, such was the hype surrounding him.
At City spells of injury have kept him out for far longer than anyone would want, but following his recent spell in the side, many have begun to question how Manchester City’s season would look, had De Bruyne been able to play.
With Pep Guardiola joining the summer the landscape of Manchester City will change dramatically. The blues will be presided over by one of the most demanding, fastidious and indeed successful managers in the modern game.
As we have seen before, there are no passengers in a Guardiola team, at Barcelona he was reported to want Pique, Fabregas, Dani Alves and David Villa out because they did not fit with his style, despite being some of the best, and indeed highest paid sports players around at the time. At Bayern we have seen how Mario Götze has fared, the once bright star of Germany is barely a fringe player under the Spanish coach.
However, those who buy into Pep’s visions, and dedicate themselves to his style of play are richly rewarded. Under Guardiola Sergio Busquets went from an academy graduate to the greatest player in his position. At Bayern, we have seen the former full back Philipp Lahm be reimaged as a great holding midfielder, and Robert Lewandowski go from a great centre forward into the very best centre forward.
With Kevin De Bruyne already the key player in this Man City team, almost usurping Sergio Agüero as the star, it seems likely that Guardiola will channel his managerial expertise into maximising the Belgians talents.
While City have a strong squad, there are a number of players (all eyes on Yaya Toure) who won’t last a summer under Pep, and with fresh faces required the Belgian playmaker has placed himself in a great position to be the focal point for the new Manchester City.
