De Bruyne puts Cityback on track
Belgian shrugs off injury scare to direct Etihad one-way traffic
NORMAL service has resumed. Manchester City made Sunday’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace look like no more than a minor bump in the road with a handsome victory over Watford on their seemingly irresistible journey towards the Premier League title.
Make that 20 wins from 22, 62 points from 66. The gap to second back to a dizzying 15 points.
City put six past Watford in September and if we are nit-picking, Pep Guardiola’s men should have scored easily that many here. In the end, they had to settle for three, one apiece for Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero either side of an own goal from Christian Kabasele, a flurry of missed chances and a slightly sloppy final 10 minutes, during which Andre Gray pulled one back and Watford screamed for a penalty after claiming Nicolas Otamendi had brought down Roberto Pereyra.
But the runaway Premier League leaders were totally dominant, for long periods a joy to watch and in Kevin De Bruyne – back to run the show only 48 hours after fearing he had suffered a serious injury – possessed a player operating on a different plain to the rest.
The Belgium midfielder’s form will have to fall off a cliff in the second half of the campaign for him not to sweep the player of the year awards.
As much as we like to talk about City’s aesthetics, and audiences got another delicious dolloping of those here, the thing no one should overlook about this side is how tough they are.
Take De Bruyne, for example. Hacked down at the knee by Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon on Sunday, De Bruyne could have been forgiven for taking the night off after a relentless schedule culminated in a crude assault but the Belgian isn’t built that way. He just gets on with it, even if everyone of a Watford persuasion must have wished he had taken the easy option and sat this one out.
De Bruyne was in the thick of it as usual, passing, probing, provoking, a whirlwind of energy, but the threat comes from all sides, all angles, and if there is one thing opponents need to do at the Etihad it is start well.
Watford’s game-plan was blown to pieces after just 39 seconds when poise and precision met pace and power. David Silva threaded a lovely through-ball in behind Daryl Janmaat for Leroy Sane to pounce upon and square.
Marvin Zeegelaar flunked an opportunity to clear and there was Raheem Sterling at the back post to steer home for his fifth goal in as many games and 18th of an extraordinary season. It got even worse for Marco Silva’s side soon after, and this time the goal originated on City’s right, Silva again splitting Watford’s defence with a perfectly weighted pass and De Bruyne drilling over a cross that Christian Kabasele, at full stretch, turned into his own net with Sergio Aguero lurking.
Watford had a good chance when Etienne Capoue released Andre Gray, who was denied by a good low save from Ederson, the sort of which Claudio Bravo might have let in last term and another measure of the impact the Brazilian has had on Guardiola’s master plan.
But it was really one-way traffic and it wasn’t long before City supporters needed more fingers to count all the missed chances.
John Stones fired over from close range from Sane’s pullback, De Bruyne with a free-kick against the crossbar and Aguero twice either side of the interval, first shooting meekly at Heurelho Gomes from De Bruyne’s latest exquisite pass and then, most disappointingly, heading wide with the goal gaping from another pass De Bruyne had put on a plate. De Bruyne’s reaction – looking up to the sky, hands out, as if to say, ‘What was that?’ – was telling.
It was also the sort of miss that might just tempt Guardiola to insist to City’s power brokers that, with Gabriel Jesus sidelined for the foreseeable future with knee ligament damage, the club bring forward their plans to sign Alexis Sanchez by tabling a bid for the Arsenal striker this month.
Aguero would finally get among the goals in the 63rd minute, even if he could not really miss when Gomes
spilt De Bruyne’s cross at the feet of the Argentina striker, who reacted quicker than Richarlison to score.
It was hard to remember Watford entering City’s half, or even having the ball longer than the time it took to win back possession and give it straight back until they scored from their one attack of note in the second period. Andre Carrillo beat Kyle Walker, who slipped, and crossed for Gray to turn in.
By then, Guardiola had already taken the opportunity to start resting players. Stones looked like he had never been away on his first appearance since November 18 after a torn hamstring, although this 67-minute run-out was the perfect way for the England defender to ease his way back in.
Fernandinho was sacrificed and then the indefatigable De Bruyne.
Whatever Guardiola is feeding the Belgian is working a treat. (© Daily Telegraph, London)