DE BRUYNE THE TOAST OF CITY
Last-gasp goal eases pressure after another night of Euro toil
In football, if you throw enough money at a problem, a solution often emerges. After 90 minutes, the left foot of Kevin De Bruyne solved the issue of Manchester City’s continued inertia in Europe. They have hardly hit the heights in this campaign, but are in control of their destiny now.
The £ 54million paid for De Bruyne in the summer raised eyebrows as well as the market, but last night it appeared money well spent. If the Belgian can give City the edge against an assured European side such as Sevilla, who knows what impact they may yet have in this tournament?
City, remember, will not always be without Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Vincent Kompany. Better is to come from this side, surely, although we have been saying that for several seasons now.
As City stockpile talent, though, the breakthrough becomes ever more likely. De Bruyne is a class act, so too Yaya Toure. This was far from City’s greatest night but there was huge quality in Toure’s build-up to the winning goal and money buys the confidence in De Bruyne’s finish.
Sevilla may only be the 13th best team in La Liga right now but they have players who find a path through on nights such as this. Suddenly, City do too. They must still travel to Spain, and play Juventus in Turin, but for now these are the good times.
The game looked to have petered out to a draw when Toure drove forward on the counterattack. Sevilla, usually masters of the European shut-out, had committed too many people forward and City had three advancing on their tight four. Toure fed the ball to De Bruyne wide on the right, he cut inside and lashed it low past goalkeeper Sergio Rico.
It looked the very essence of good, simple football, until one remembers the pressure of the moment. Here was City’s chance to take control of the qualification process, probably their last chance of the game. De Bruyne could have been unnerved, or snatched at his chance. He wasn’t, he didn’t. He finished like £54m-worth of player.
And, no, it was not City at their most impressive, but at least it wasn’t another of those nights when their squad amounts to less than the sum of its lavishly assembled parts. A draw will do in Seville in two weeks’ time.
Usually, at this stage, City are at death’s door, a false step from oblivion or as good as out. By comparison, this is a pleasant change of scenery.
nothing can be taken for granted, though. The best chances belonged to the Spaniards and the lion’s share of command, too. The match played out at their pace, to their instruction for long periods — and they will be a different proposition in the return leg.
Any team who win the Europa League, then retain it the following season, have a pedigree and comfort in UEFA competitions that has so far eluded City, meaning Manuel Pellegrini’s team will need to step up from this. Lose and they could end up in a straight shoot- out, maybe in Turin.
The Europa League winners are now elevated to the Champions League — a Michel Platini innovation and, for once, a worthwhile one — and Sevilla showed here they can hold their own among the elite.
City enjoyed a couple of flurries early on, but then Sevilla’s class began to tell. Once established, they stretched City magnificently, finding space on either flank and room around the box. They were sharper, too, first to the second balls. It was only as the game wore on that City’s resilience showed.
Whatever flaws there were on the night, credit is due for hanging in there. They have played much better in Europe than this, and lost. In its way, here was progress.
Of course, the absence of Aguero and Silva — plus Pellegrini’s decision to do without Kompany in his starting line-up — left City considerably weakened. The periods when they faded from the game, however, were a worry. They had three chances inside the first 14 minutes and spent the next 20 chasing Sevilla around the park.
JESUS navas, a former Sevilla man, fired the first shot from 25 yards, a development that seemed to surprise teammates old and new. Soon after, Toure fed De Bruyne on the right and got into the box for the return, but missed his kick. Raheem Sterling was the next cab off the rank but, startled to be needed, shot straight at Rico. Five minutes later, Sterling played in De Bruyne but his shot was low and wide.
And then it was Sevilla’s turn. Yevhen Konoplyanka — another one who got away from former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers — grew into the game and stood out. His free- kick in the 17th minute struck the near post with Joe Hart scrambling, although City’s goalkeeper recovered to parry the rebound from Grzegorz Krychowiak. As City struggled to alleviate the pressure, Sevilla made it count. From their next attack of note, they went ahead.
Vitolo found himself in too much space in the City area and cut the ball back to Konoplyanka, who finished smartly with Hart helpless. He protested that Kevin Gameiro, Sevilla’s striker, impeded his vision. He probably did, but he was played onside by Eliaquim Mangala.
Spurred to life at last, however, City quickly recovered. Here was Toure at his bruising best, muscling his way past Sevilla’s defence on the byline and pulling the ball back for Sterling. His shot was saved by Rico, only for Wilfried Bony to react first and stab a shot in off Adil Rami.
Yet City failed to build on that fillip, returning to a familiar malaise. In the 43rd minute, a poor headed clearance from Mangala fell to Krychowiak, whose shot across goal was headed over by Gameiro from close range.
Gameiro then missed the chance of the game after 55 minutes.
Benoit Tremoulinas put the cross in from the left, finding Gameiro in every bit as much space as Theo Walcott against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night. At least Walcott forced one of the saves of the season from Manuel neuer, though. Gameiro didn’t even get his header on target, and screamed his frustration to the sky.
His mood will not have been improved by a ridiculous booking soon after, judged to have deliberately handled the ball by Dutch referee Bas nijhuis, when he plainly had his arm out to gain balance to shoot.
By the end, City were at last applying pressure. De Bruyne fired across goal but Sterling couldn’t get there and Toure forced a save from Rico, but nobody was on site for the rebound. It looked as if City had settled. De Bruyne changed that; and £54m changed it, too.
What is the point of spending if not to make the difference?