A TRYING TIME FOR DE BRUYNE AND CITY AFTER PALACE SPRING ETIHAD SHOCK
Few people would expect to see the No 17 flash up on the fourth official’s board when Pep Guardiola turns to his bench to change a game. Taking off Kevin De Bruyne when a goal down — and a man light — would usually be considered sacrilege. Manchester City are more likely to force the issue with him on the pitch, that much is obvious. Particularly when met with stoic, low blocks. There have been countless occasions when De Bruyne’s brilliance has altered the course of a fixture.
So it felt significant that Guardiola’s first roll of the dice was to call time on De Bruyne’s day, bringing on John Stones and shifting Joao Cancelo into midfield just before the hour. For City, this was not a De Bruyne problem, rather indicative of the travails this team can suffer on occasion. They do not happen too often, making days such as these all the more glaring and that Manchester United can go level on points with them by winning the derby at Old Trafford next week feels plainly absurd. City find themselves in that position because they forced this game too much. And when things are forced, De Bruyne is often seen as the most obvious culprit by virtue of his improvised style of play. In many ways, his ingenuity has always been at odds with the manager’s very meticulous game plans and the relative freedom afforded to him has given City an extra dimension.
‘Everything we have done in these years is thanks to a person like him,’ Guardiola said. ‘He is trying more and more every single day. we know how difficult it is to maintain high levels but (it’s) not just him.’
The 30-year-old has struggled with injuries this year and only recently returned to proper match fitness. Guardiola’s strategy has been to persevere with him in a bid to regain his rhythm, but you wonder whether he may be in need of a brief rest. De Bruyne, in essence, looks as if he is trying too hard — although he is certainly not alone in that.
How City chased an equaliser after wilfried Zaha’s sixth-minute opener was scattered. Guardiola knows that. ‘The players wanted to score a goal a little bit quicker and do it a little bit anxiously,’ he said, agreeing that crosses were chucked into the box with too much haste.
He remained at a loss to explain how they can go from scoring a bucketload one week to none the next. To be fair to Palace, they didn’t give City time to dwell on the ball. And it was fitting that Palace’s best player, Conor Gallagher, swept in their second goal late on to seal three impressive points.