MY MESSAGE TO DE BRUYNE: HENRY’S ASSISTS RECORD CAN BE ALL YOURS
Arsenal legend set up 20 goals in a season... but City’s midfield maestro can beat that total
IN 2017-18, Manchester City were at Southampton on the last day of the season. It was 0-0 and we were deep into stoppage time, meaning Pep Guardiola’s side were set to finish on 98 points, rather than 100.
Then Kevin De Bruyne did what he does best. In the 94th minute, he floated a ball over the top for Gabriel Jesus to chase. The Brazilian scored and City were centurions.
That saw De Bruyne win the Premier League’s inaugural playmaker award, after providing 16 assists. It was important this accolade was introduced. It shows appreciation for unselfishness. It means generosity is recognised and applauded.
And that sums up De Bruyne. He is a unique footballer. Most players want to score goals, but he is just as happy setting them up.
Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in 2002-03 still stands to this day but De Bruyne must have his eye on exceeding that total this season. If he doesn’t, he definitely should.
On Saturday, he kickstarted City’s rout of Watford by setting up David Silva’s opener with a mesmerising cross towards the back post. Like a lot of people, I consider David Beckham to be the Premier League’s best- ever crosser, but De Bruyne is beginning to rival my former England team-mate.
He then set up Bernardo Silva to complete his hat-trick with a drilled ball across the box, taking his tally to seven assists for the season.
Then, with the game won, he fancied a goal of his own. De Bruyne drilled a shot into the back of the net, confirming the 8-0 win and capping a magnificent performance.
City look even better going forward this season than they did in the last. After six games in 2018-19, they had 19 goals. Right now, they have 24, so how many more assists can De Bruyne rack up? More than Henry’s 20 for Arsenal? As long as he can stay fit, after injuries curtailed his campaign last year, that can certainly be a target for the 28-year-old.
De Bruyne is my favourite midfielder to watch in the Premier League right now. It is not that he only weaves his magic every once in a while. He is doing it on a weekly basis. In the one game he did not start this season, City lost 3-2 to Norwich. What I admire most about the Belgian, though, is his generosity. City taking a 5-0 lead inside 18 minutes, a week after losing at Carrow Road, was a statement and a half.
It should come as no surprise that De Bruyne led the way. The closest he has ever come to Henry’s 20 assists was in 2016-17, when he got to 18. Now he has seven in six games and, fitness permitting, I don’t see him stopping any time soon.
AT LEAST the scoreboard hid some of Watford’s humiliation. It read: Manchester City 8 Visitors 0.
No mention of the opponents who had just been ritually torn apart by the Premier League champions.
A nod to City’s 125th anniversary celebrations required an old-school scoreboard for the day and that was about the only thing that went Watford’s way.
In all those years, City had not won by eight goals in the top flight. Only Manchester United, who stuck nine past Ipswich in 1995, have scored more.
Perhaps the only surprise is that Pep Guardiola’s team haven’t done this sooner. There have been sixes and sevens.
As Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster warned afterwards, it is only a matter of time before they hit double figures.
When City are in this kind of mood, the opposition doesn’t really matter, it could be just about anyone. Maybe they should keep ‘Visitors’ up there on the scoreboard after all.
Floored by another team in yellow a week earlier, they responded to that shock defeat at Norwich and questions over an injury-hit back-four with a ruthless display.
Like an injured boxer using attack as the best form of defence, City came out swinging — a goal up inside 53 seconds, five up in 18 minutes, seven by the hour and eight at the end.
Bernardo Silva walked away with the match ball to mark the first hat-trick of his career but Kevin De Bruyne was the real star of the show.
He scored the best goal of the day, a rocket into the top corner, and had a hand in another five including a sublime cross for David Silva’s opener. He could have had two more assists but for Sergio Aguero hitting the post twice.
One of the more remarkable aspects of City’s success last season in winning a domestic Treble and holding off a relentless challenge from Liverpool in the title race is that they did so largely without De Bruyne, their best player and arguably the best in English football.
Injuries restricted the Belgian to just 22 starts in City’s 61 games and 11 in the Premier League.
How many other teams could absorb that kind of blow and still achieve what City did?
‘We did an incredible season winning four titles,’ said Guardiola. ‘We missed him at lot last season because he is a special player. He sees something the other guys cannot see on the pitch — and not even off it.
‘Sometimes I’m a little bit angry when he loses the simple ball. With your quality how can you lose it? But he is an incredibly
talented player.’ He isn’t the only one, of course. The two Silvas were outstanding here, Riyad Mahrez brilliant.
Aguero wasn’t at his best but still became the first Premier League player to start the season by scoring in six games in a row, and the third after Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry to hit 100 goals in one stadium.
A shambolic Watford, thrashed 6-0 by City in the FA Cup final four months ago, must have felt like they were in a recurring nightmare. In the last seven games against these opponents they have shipped 33 goals.
For manager Quique Sanchez Flores, this was a brutal reality check after marking his return to the club with a 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
For Foster, it was simply aweinspiring. ‘You could see them opening us up and the chances developing in front of your eyes,’ he said. ‘To get in at 5-0 at half-time, I was over the moon.
‘I’ve seen Man City plenty of times when, if they’re on it and the other team aren’t, it can be double digits. They will do it to somebody. There will be a nine or 10 out there soon.
‘Coming here, it’s almost an achievement to keep it at one or two goals. We had a gameplan but it went out of the window after 50 seconds. It was carnage. As a goalie, you fear that it could be a cricket score. It’s scary how easy it seemed for them.
‘We saw that in the Cup final last season. It’s not a fluke. They can do that at any given time against any team.’
no sooner had Foster left the building than Fernandinho ambled out of the dressing room, much as he had strolled through the preceding 90 minutes.
If City’s midfielder-turned-defender felt under pressure after the norwich debacle, he certainly didn’t show it.
So, does this show that the back-to-back champions won’t be releasing their grip on the title easily? ‘Liverpool know that for sure,’ said Fernandinho.
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6.5; Walker 7 (Cancelo 54min, 6.5), Otamendi 7 (Garcia 63, 6), Fernandinho 7, Mendy 6.5 (Angelino 46, 6.5); DE BRUYNE 9, Rodri 7.5, D Silva 8; Mahrez 8, Aguero 7, B Silva 8. Subs not used: Bravo, Sterling, Gundogan, Jesus.
Scorers: D Silva 1, Aguero pen 7, Mahrez 12, B Silva 15, 48, 60, Otamendi 18, De Bruyne 85. Booked: B Silva, Angelino. WATFORD (4-4-1-1): Foster 5.5; Femenia 4, Dawson 4, Mariappa 4.5, Holebas 4; Foulquier 3.5 (Pereyra 33, 5), Capoue 4, Doucoure 5, Hughes 4 (Sarr 59, 5); Cleverley 5; Deulofeu 6 (Gray 77, 5).
Subs not used: Gomes, Janmaat, Chalobah, Kabasele. Booked: Femenia, Deulofeu. Referee: Mike Dean 7.
Attendance: 54,273.