MAGIC OF DE BRUYNE NEEDS A BIGGER STAGE
PERHAPS the winners of the Champions League next season should have an asterisk placed next to their name. Because a European Cup without Kevin De Bruyne isn’t the European Cup. There will be quite a few Manchester City players with a decision to make if UEFA’S decision to ban the Premier League champions from Europe for two years is upheld on appeal. Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane are blessed with the kind of talent that craves the big stage. Manager Pep Guardiola, too. But none would be missed more than De Bruyne. At 28, the Belgian is at the peak of his powers and would be a fitting Footballer of the Year. Yet De Bruyne has never gone beyond the semi-finals of football’s most prestigious tournaments. Beaten by Real Madrid in the last four of the Champions League five years ago, he suffered again in 2018 when Belgium lost to France with a World Cup Final at stake. His influence on Guardiola’s team is immeasurable. With David Silva’s powers on the wane and Sterling injured, he will be the man Real Madrid fear most when City go to the Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Playing in an advanced role just behind Aguero, he was the one player that Brendan Rodgers’ side never got to grips with. And De Bruyne thought he had found the breakthrough seven minutes into the second half when worked himself an opening on the edge of the Leicester box and appeared to have given
Kasper Schmeichel the eyes. But the Foxes goalkeeper managed to adjust himself to produce a brilliant save.
Schmeichel was Leicester’s hero again on the hour when VAR ruled that Dennis Praet had blocked Ilkay Gundogan’s shot with his arm.
Aguero went powerfully to Schmeichel’s right – but would not have been surprised when the keeper saved. City have now failed to score from the spot five times this season – including their last four.
Aguero and Gabriel Jesus have both missed two.
Sterling had a penalty saved at Wolves on a retake after keeper Rui Patricio was adjudged to have moved to early saving his first attempt.
And Gundogan has also been wasteful.
In the end, it was Jesus who was City’s saviour 10 minutes from time – three minutes after replacing Aguero.
Former Fox Riyad Mahrez silenced the fans who jeered his every touch with a dash into the heart of Leicester’s defence and his nudged pass to Jesus on his right was timed to perfection.
This time, Schmeichel was given no hope by the Brazilian.
Rodgers will have been devastated by the defeat, with Leicester’s own return to Europe’s elite still in the balance.
This was a chance to deliver a statement of intent by closing the gap on the second-placed visitors to a single point.
Leicester had their moments – especially in a furious opening which saw the champions hanging on.
The home side got the moment they would have worked hard for on the training ground after just seven minutes when Jamie Vardy found himself left all alone with Fernandino.
Youri Tielemans pass sent Vardy in behind his marker, but the striker’s shot bounced back off Ederson’s right-hand post.
Ederson was also fortunate to escape with an aerial challenge on Kelechi Iheanacho, which eventually forced the Leicester striker off at the break.
But, by then, it was the visitors carrying most of the threat. Gundogan twice squandered opportunities he would have expected to bury.
Benjamin Mendy saw deflected shot drift just wide with Schmeichel stranded and De Bruyne fired a foot wide from a decent position.
Their control after the break was just as impressive before Guardiola began to think about the trip to Madrid on Wednesday, and brought off Laporte and Aguero.