The pressure was on Kevin De Bruyne when he returned from injury for Manchester City.
In one of his post-match press conferences in early January, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, perhaps purposely, added to the increased expectations when he said: "Kevin De Bruyne is warming up. The whole country is starting to shake."
The champions hadn’t been at their best and, in truth, they did need a spark to get things back on track as they looked to retain their Premier League crown. And while they no doubt hoped their Belgian playmaker would give them a boost, few expected De Bruyne to have this much of an impact in such a short space of time.
The 32-year-old has made just eight starts in the English top-flight this term and he’s appeared in just 673 minutes. Despite this, he’s registered three goals and six assists. He’s averaging a goal involvement every 74 minutes for the title hopefuls who now find themselves just one point behind joint-leaders Arsenal and Liverpool with seven games to play.
De Bruyne played a pivotal role in City’s recent comeback victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. With Pep Guardiola’s side finding themselves 1-0 down inside four minutes, the No17 levelled things up just nine minutes later with an outrageous curled effort into the top corner.
He set up Erling Haaland for City’s third and then rifled in a left-footed effort for his second and the visitor's fourth of the day - the second time they’ve scored that many in a match this week. His showing against the Eagles earned him a rating of 9.85. His second goal was also his 100th for the champions.
The former Chelsea man was at his brilliant best having been rested for the 4-1 win over Aston Villa in midweek. To go with his three-goal involvements, De Bruyne also played four key passes - double that of anyone else on the pitch - and was responsible for 7.5% of the possession - the fourth-highest on the day and an unbelievable figure for such an attacking player.
Guardiola heaped praise on the midfielder in his post-match interview, saying: "One of the best players in all our history of Man City. The first goal is unbelievable, the fourth is unbelievable. The assist for Erling. Really, really good.
“Today Kevin won the game. Without Kevin today, maybe we wouldn't be able to win. We can talk about tactics but give me players like Kevin!
⭐️ Premier League Player of the Week - @KevinDeBruyne #PL | @ManCity pic.twitter.com/YyY5QfLFCX
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) April 8, 2024
"He's been five months out. He's had good moments in games back. After that he was not maybe at his best, that's normal. A really, really special talent. He is mentally fresh, for sure. I listen to him on the bus, in the locker toom, train station, laughing. The body language dictates a lot how he is. All the players but especially Kevin."
And while the Catalan-born coach may feel the Belgian hasn’t been at his best since returning from the injury lay-off, De Bruyne has still had an impact on a number of games.
For example, he chipped in with a goal and assist in the comeback win over Newcastle United at the start of the year when it looked as though City may be down and out. He scored the equaliser and then set up the stoppage-time winner to keep the Citizens in the hunt for top spot.
De Bruyne assisted the opener against Liverpool at Anfield with an obscenely well taken corner. For John Stones to be able to execute his finish, the cross into the area needed to be weighted to perfection. Fortunately for Guardiola’s side, it was.
The star showing against Crystal Palace on Saturday ensured City overturned a deficit to keep things tight at the top.
He may not be the De Bruyne of old but he’s a match-winner, a difference-maker and a game-changer on a regular basis. He’s replaced Ilkay Gundogan as Mr. Clutch for the champions and with him involved, City have a chance of finishing this season at the top of the table.
