An illuminating spell for the expansive – and expensive – Manchester City project begins on Sunday against Huddersfield Town.
All the work of City Football Group has revolved around the tenet of making the Premier League champions the complete outfit. From never relenting in the ultimately successful chase for revolutionary head coach Pep Guardiola, to regenerating an 80-acre site for the unrivalled City Football Academy and unmatched spending of more than £1.2 billion (Dh5.6bn) on transfers during a near decade of ownership.
This “holistic approach”, as described in 2013’s press release which announced Manuel Pellegrini’s hiring as boss, was designed to ensure success on the pitch is not dictated by the fortunes of just one man. Thoughtful design and supporting investment to match has, supposedly, ensured constituent parts combine to cover any short-term weakness.
But beyond even Guardiola’s vision and CFG’s largesse, an influential talent without match went down this week.
Damage to Kevin De Bruyne’s lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in his right knee should sideline the Belgium midfielder for three months.
This is a performer of optimal tactical importance, blessed with refined ability. If City can maintain their historic standards in his absence, an entire philosophy gains validation.
De Bruyne’s combination of grace, vision and adaptability gave Guardiola a solution to turn the teething problems of 2016/17’s debut campaign into the ensuing historic march to top-flight glory. His move to make the 27-year-old a deep-lying playmaker sparked the epochal run which saw records tumble for most wins, points and goals.
The £55 million (Dh314.6m) addition from Wolfsburg in August 2015 would provide incisive throughballs in the middle to circumvent stacked opponents, plus feather these passes into the feet of Spain’s David Silva and Co. with heavenly weight. If this rarefied tact didn’t work, punishing accuracy from set-pieces would instead break the deadlock.
In De Bruyne’s expected absence until November, rich additions such as Monaco’s Bernardo Silva, Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan and Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez – procured this July for a club-record £60m (Dh281.1m) – should pick up the creative slack.
If immediate solutions do not work, then further ballast comes from an Academy calibrated to produce first-team additions that meet Guardiola’s exacting demands. Teenager Phil Foden – an unused substitute in the opening 2-0 victory at Arsenal – is cast as the great hope.
We can confirm @DeBruyneKev has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 17, 2018
No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months.
Get well soon, KDB! #mancity pic.twitter.com/hozcvnF8BX
Even with plentiful solutions available, De Bruyne’s determining impact is startlingly clear.
The ex-Chelsea player has failed to start just 23 Premier League matches since he joined the Blues. A similar problem suffered in January 2016 when Pellegrini was in control saw two wins, one draw and four losses suffered before his return that April.
Under Guardiola, De Bruyne’s only been absent from the XI on seven occasions – just two of these came in 2017/18’s imperious victory march.
In league matches with him in the starting side, City’s win percentage is 64.8 per cent (59 wins from 91 matches). When he does not take to the pitch from kick-off, this drops slightly to 60 per cent.
Possession also falls from 66 per cent to 61.4 per cent and points per game from 2.2 to 1.9. Average goals for/against with him of 2.3/0.9 degenerates to 1.8/1.2.
Since his return to British shores with City, no one has bettered his tally of 43 assists.
Bit tired after the game, but happy with our first trophy 😝😂🏆 pic.twitter.com/sIbfRRJ2oS
— Kevin De Bruyne (@DeBruyneKev) August 6, 2018
Freshly returned from vacation after Belgium’s run to third place at World Cup, De Bruyne was given the final half hour of City’s masterclass at Emirates Stadium.
Only profligacy prevented a higher score being run up on Gunners boss Unai Emery’s fitful debut.
With David Silva out of the match-day squad, it was left to namesake Bernardo and Gundogan to carry the playmaking responsibilities. They responded in fine fashion, helped by the alacrity of England forward Raheem Sterling.
Such weapons should have no problem dispensing with a Huddersfield side who looked every inch relegation candidates during an opening 3-0 home reversal to Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea.
Comfort minus De Bruyne will be harder to find at Liverpool on October 7 and Tottenham on October 28, plus at home to Manchester United on November 11.
Still, City have taken every step to ensure these hurdles are cleared even if De Bruyne is missing.
A safety net without peer – in theory, at least. Now, comes the practice.
