FIVE-STAR CITY GIVE HENDRY A HARD TIME
Bruges had a buzz about it over the last day or so, the restaurants and cafes full of locals desperate to discuss Kevin De Bruyne.
He was born almost an hour away in ghent. There is no obvious connection between him and Club Bruges but regardless, this was a homecoming. The boy done good, back playing a first club match in Belgium since leaving for the Premier League riches all those years ago.
This place was so hospitable that Seven Nation Army by The White stripes, the tune Manchester City fans use to serenade their talisman, soundtracked his warm-up.
As De Bruyne departed the scene in the 65th minute — with the game well won — all four sides of Jan Breydelstadion rose as one to afford one of this country’s finest products a standing ovation.
This was not all about De Bruyne though. This was about the young lads: Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
Bruges’ scotland defender Jack Hendry may have earned plaudits for keeping the superstars of Paris saint-germain quiet last month but the former Celtic man and his team-mates were left chasing shadows against City’s fluid forwards.
suggesting that anyone will surpass De Bruyne’s importance to this team borders blasphemy, but Foden must go pretty close soon.
The majority of City’s big moments in reaching last season’s Champions League final had Foden’s prints all over them — none of their players have contributed towards more european goals over the last 12 months — and he is knitting a strikerless unit together wonderfully.
He was again their standout but another star continues to emerge — even younger than he. Palmer, 19, is a name worth remembering, sauntering on when replacing De Bruyne as if this was all very normal. Two minutes later, he had scored City’s fourth of the night.
A trademark Palmer finish off the right, collecting a pass and curling left-footed into the far corner. He is a special talent.
Pep guardiola warned that City have another half-a-dozen academy products ready to make their mark after Palmer’s first Champions League goal.
‘The people in this world want things immediately but everything needs time,’ said guardiola. ‘You cannot cook a good dish if you don’t spend time in the kitchen.
‘Cole has a special quality that’s difficult to find, he finishes it most of the time. He’s training with us and taking our principles. He’s a player for the future of this club.
‘We also have Liam Delap, samuel edozie, Luke Mbete, romeo Lavia — five or six really good talented players in the academy. If they continue to be humble and work they can be important for us.’
On Palmer, guardiola added: ‘He played three or four minutes against Burnley for us on saturday and then went and
scored three goals for the academy later that day. some
players might be lazy: “Oh I have a status and don’t want to play”. He went there, scored three and showed what he can do.’
City went in at half-time two up, having two others disallowed, to underline a performance of dominance, a professional dispatch of the unfancied Belgians, who had already upset Paris saint-germain and rB Leipzig in this intriguing group.
Foden crafted the first, dropping deep from his false nine station with the nonchalance of a man who knows these are the sorts of occasions he now orchestrates.
From a crowded midfield, Foden saw Joao Cancelo galloping from left-back and took on quarterback duties, clipping perfectly into space. Cancelo’s exemplary chest control took him past an agitated Clinton Mata, the Portuguese ignoring a clear shove in the back to slip underneath simon Mignolet.
Where does guardiola play Foden now? stick him anywhere and he runs all the plays, directs all the traffic, but for the minute, the central striker’s position looks the best bet given the energy and conviction to his game. City’s and england’s future will be built around him in the coming years.
The six-year contract that will be announced imminently is music to the club’s ears.
City continued to plough on. Occasionally alert to a breakaway but suffocating another opponent, whose back four looked like they had been through an overly aggressive tumble-dryer at the end of one particular move, switched from side to side at pace, which would have gone close in any goal of the season competition.
The second will not, riyad Mahrez sending former Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet the wrong way from the spot just before the break. Mahrez won the penalty himself, stanley Nsoki’s lazy challenge grounding the Algerian, and effectively sealed the hosts’ fate.
It ought to have been plenty more, rodri and Jack grealish saw goals chalked off for a marginal offside and a gentle push.
Kyle Walker got in on the act, latching onto De Bruyne’s through ball to slide past Mignolet before raheem sterling scampered through to pick out Palmer for his second senior goal. sterling might have had a hat-trick but squandered chances when put through.
Hans Vanaken swept in a consolation, although there remained time for Mahrez to end the rout. He has seven goals in his last seven european games, as integral as Foden during last year’s run to the final. This offered signs that reaching another showpiece is not beyond them.
CLUB BRUGES (3-5-2): Mignolet 5; Mata 4, Hendry 5, Nsoki 5 (Mechele 79), Sobol 5; Sowah 5 (Van der Brempt 56), Rits 5 (Vormer 56), Balanta 5 (Mbamba 68), Lang 6; Vanaken 7; De Ketelaere 6 (Dost 79). Booked: Mata, Nsoki, Balanta.
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 8, Dias 7, Laporte 7 (Ake 57), Cancelo 8; Silva 7 (Gundogan 57), Rodri 8 (Fernandinho 71), De Bruyne 7 (Palmer 65); Mahrez 8, Foden 9, (Sterling 64), Grealish 7. Booked: Laporte. Man of the match: Phil Foden. Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania). Attendance: 28,500.