De Bruyne Is Not The Answer To Manchester City's Problem

JAKARTA - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is eager to emphasize that Kevin De Bruyne's return to the team will not solve all of The Citizens' problems.

The Belgian has indeed proven to be able to contribute greatly when he first started in the Premier League since recovering from injury.

He contributed one goal and one assist within 30 minutes of Manchester City beating Nottingham Forest on Thursday, December 5, 2024.

Contribution De Bruyne also made The Citizens end seven consecutive matches without a win, six defeats and one draw.

All the problems currently in the team were able to be covered by De Bruyne even though he had not had the opportunity to appear full.

"I am very happy for him. Last season, he was injured for months. This season too."

"I'm very happy he's back. He fought hard. He played for 75 fantastic minutes. We need to win. Clubs, players, everyone needs to win," said Guardiola.

However, Guardiola said Kevin De Bruyne's presence was not the answer to Manchester City's problems even though the player helped the team return to winning ways since the last time they beat Southampton on October 26, 2024 in the league.

Guardiola's statement actually wanted to ward off dependence on the Belgian player even though that was the case.

In fact, Manchester City is still better off with De Bruyne's presence. Not surprisingly, he left the field accompanied by the echoing shout "Oh Kevin De Bruyne" at the Etihad.

However, the Spaniard wants a suitable replacement for De Bruyne. You see, the midfielder will turn 34 next summer and the last 18 months of his career have been crushed by injury.

"He played very well. defensively, he helped us a lot. Very good. I'm very happy. He's an amazing person."

"What he has done with us over the years is extraordinary. When he is in shape, maybe he can't play every three days, but hopefully he can help us like he has done since coming from Germany."

"We'll see how he recovers after a long injury. However, we'll see how he feels in three days," said Guardiola.

De Bruyne only took six minutes to create his first chance against Nottingham.

He crossed from the right which Erling Haaland grabbed into the net and was pushed over by goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Two minutes later, he provided a pass. Ilkay Gundogan sent in a cross from the left, De Bruyne directed a header into the net and Bernardo Silva added a simple finish on the line to score the opener.

De Bruyne also struggled to score, but he finally scored his third goal this season. The goal kept The Citizens away after he took advantage of Jeremy Doku's assist in the 31st minute.

The Belgian national team player should have scored three goals in the second half. One of his efforts was through a free kick, but Sels somehow parried a shot that almost came in.

It's too early to say De Bruyne has returned to his best form. However, his contribution is very important.