By Pete Hall, Special to Sportsnet
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – The grandest of stages brings out the best in a certain type of player.
Barcelona possess a myriad of star names, capable of changing the game in the blink of an eye, with a style that has left spectators aghast the world over.
However, in Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City have that different weapon altogether – a bombastic playmaker capable of finesse and dynamism in equal measure. If the Belgium international can have the kind of effect he had against Barcelona in the Blues’ 3-1 win on Tuesday night in UEFA Champions League play, lesser opponents across Europe better proceed with caution.
It was a strange game for the man they call “Kev” on the blue half of Manchester. De Bruyne’s flat and half-hearted showing in the opening 45 minutes was a microcosm for the entire feeling around the ground. City fans have grown disillusioned with the Champions League and their treatment from UEFA, so despite Barcelona being in town, for a match Pep Guardiola in the buildup called a “final,” the subdued atmosphere wasn’t aided by De Bruyne’s anonymity.
https://twitter.com/PeteHall86/status/793539058173706240
The 25-year-old made a meek seven passes in the first half on the left flank – no other outfield player on the pitch touched the ball on fewer occasions – and this was against makeshift full-back in Sergi Roberto, who lost possession 10 times in the first half alone.
The writing seemed to be on the wall for City. Lionel Messi warned City pre-match that this was a different Barcelona under Luis Enrique – with more emphasis on counter attack than the tiki-taka played under Guardiola– and sure enough, the Catalans took the lead with a swift break of the highest calibre through Messi.
Then, a fortunate equalizer from Ilkay Gundogan shifted the momentum in City’s favour late in the first half. Guardiola didn’t hang around, moving De Bruyne into the middle after the break, giving City a new dimension, and a fallible Barcelona simply couldn’t cope.
“We tried to play more direct, [we] moved Kevin De Bruyne as a central striker, and that helped us,” Guardiola said post-match. “When we could finish our counter attacks that was the difference.
“This way [with De Bruyne in the middle] we could make three v. two.”
That extra body through the middle seemed to flummox Barca. Sergio Busquets, who again was below par, and Ivan Rakitic couldn’t get near City, and were on the back foot every time the English side countered.
Some will point to Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s poor positioning as a key factor in allowing City to take the lead, but De Bruyne’s free kick in the 51st minute had plenty of power, dip and swerve behind it, making it difficult for the Barca goalkeeper.
The goal lifted the crowd yet further, and seemed to rekindle that fire in De Bruyne’s belly. Only three City players finished the game having touched the ball more times that De Bruyne, completing the game with a pass completion rate bettered only by Gundogan from City’s starters. The transformation was staggering.
Another bombastic foray forward led to City’s third and clincher, with Gundogan gaining the credit for his second of the night, but it was again De Bruyne who was at the heart of the move.
Barca were again backpedaling, trying in vain to cope with another City counter. De Bruyne carried the attack once more and, with options either side, the Belgian delicately threaded the ball through for the onrushing Jesus Navas, who pulled it back for Gundogan, via the back of Sergio Aguero.
The weight of the pass made all the difference. It was made to look simple, and will be glossed over in many match reports, with the fortuitous nature of Aguero’s deflection catching the eye. Yet, it is this very facet – making difficult judgements like the weight of a pass look so simple – that sets the best apart.
Guardiola must take some plaudits for the tactical shift, too. Famed for sticking by his passing principles, the City boss spoke of the “footballing philosophies” that he shares with his counterpart Luis Enrique in his program notes, but went against his own ethos to adopt this more direct approach.
However, every army general needs his foot soldiers to bring home the glory. Gundogan operated in the shadows, arriving at the most opportune moments to score a crucial double, Raheem Sterling gave Lucas Digne a torrid time on the right flank, while Aguero looked to be back to his menacing best after finding his scoring touch at the weekend.
Yet, none of these performances would have been possible if it wasn’t for the incredible second-half turnaround from De Bruyne. He brought the attack to Barcelona, and in this form, he is almost unstoppable.
Last season, City’s domestic title challenge fell away at the last, allowing Leicester to complete an astonishing Premier League fairytale. But, as many a City fan will testify, had De Bruyne stayed fit, it could have been an altogether more expected outcome last May.
De Bruyne makes the difference, and it is nights like this, against the very best, where such stars prove their worth. The task now for Guardiola is to work out his most effective role, and when he does, De Bruyne is capable of propelling City to the very top of Europe.
Pete Hall works for Sky Sports and is a special correspondent for Sportsnet. He filed this report from Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Sportsnet’s Soccer Central podcast (featuring James Sharman, Thomas Dobby, Brendan Dunlop and John Molinaro) takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues.
Listen now | iTunes | Podcatchers
