Manchester City isn’t used to having poor or even neutral runs. Even when they lose, they frequently still generate chances, thanks to De Bruyne, proving the adage that City is the only team capable of defeating themselves.
However, City have lost three and drawn one of their eight games prior to their matchup with Tottenham on Thursday. They just managed one shot on goal in their two losses last week.
On Wednesday, Pep Guardiola made a point to emphasize that the recent goalscoring struggles for City were his problem and not his players. He gave the impression that he had a clear plan to help them regain their rhythm. However, few could have predicted that getting go of star Kevin De Bruyne would be a part of the plan.
The Erling Haaland streak without a goal
Erling Haaland’s streak of three games without a goal was initially suggested by Guardiola last week that it might be broken with a change in strategy and simply by putting the ball into the box more often for their number nine. He made it obvious that his players were ultimately responsible for executing those strategies, even though he later claimed blame for it not occurring.
And to demonstrate that, Guardiola made a number of crucial selection decisions against Tottenham, most notably benching De Bruyne in favor of adding Julian Alvarez as an additional body in the box.
De Bruyne was on the bench only twice this season; but, on the other occasion, Alvarez and Haaland scored five goals together against Nottingham Forest. Perhaps it was the reasoning for the choice; according to Guardiola, Alvarez was chosen to add another body to the box.
In order to improve their record of one shot on goal in two games and Haaland’s goalless streak of two and a half games, City must generate more chances for Haaland, according to Guardiola. He mentioned repeatedly in his program notes from Thursday that in order to have a good season, you must compete in every game and fight for “absolutely everything.”
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The De Bruyne Sacrifice
De Bruyne’s sacrifice to achieve those goals, then, speaks much about Guardiola’s perspective on City’s recent collapse. De Bruyne is typically regarded as impenetrable and trusted to guide City back into form. He is untouchable. But in order for Guardiola to obtain the response he wants, he has now been dropped.
That calls into question De Bruyne’s ability to fight like Guardiola desired, in addition to his artistic form. Despite the number of changes, City’s style in the first half looked quite similar to recent outings. They were calling out for De Bruyne’s calmness and eye for a pass in the final third.
However, despite conceding twice in first-half stoppage time due to injury, City came out of the break determined to prove Guardiola wrong. They did this by upping the tempo, bringing men into the box, and providing the necessary passes.
Without the help of De Bruyne or players like Bernardo Silva, City were level in a matter of seconds. Riyad Mahrez danced into the box and caught Hugo Lloris out at the near post.
De Bruyne and City face Wolves next. Or because his fitness may have been hampered by the lost training day. Nevertheless, at the midpoint of City’s season, this was his first non-appearance in a Premier League match.
De Bruyne and everyone else may have been reminded that under Guardiola, no one is exempt from scrutiny. The new-look Blues eventually looked good against Spurs even without their star creator.
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