New Delhi: An era might just be coming to an end… an era of one of the greatest midfieders to ever grace the sport, Kevin De Bruyne. To be fair, we can’t call this a rough patch as the Belgian icon hasn’t quite delivered for quite some time, consdiering the lofty standards he has set for himself. The 33-year-old veteran has won it all at City and he has already built a reputation as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of Premier League.
With Manchester City’s recent decline and a disastrous campaign struck by injuries, Kevin De Bruyne was supposed to be the leading figure to guide Pep Guardiola’s side through all these problems they have faced this season. However, it seems like the Belgian is already having a bad time on the pitch and his recent performance against Liverpool was a complete shocker for a player of his standard. Evere since the beginning of the campaign, Manchester City have suffered a lot and their ageing squad has been completely exposed, both in the league as well as in Europe as teh 2022/23 Champions League winners were embarassed by fresh Real Madrid side, ending their European journey.
Has football left De Bruyne?
Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City controls the ball during the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at Etihad Stadium on February 23, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
It wasn’t too long since Pep Guardiola’s style of play at Manchester City used to strike fear down their opponents’ hearts with their incredible possession game, calmness and speed. However, one thing that really set the Cityzens par from other clubs was their confidence on the ball which is slowly becoming their biggest weakness this season. Currently, each of City’s departments seem to have suffered considerably as they have struggled in the league and Europe that has marked a drastic downfall for Pep Guardiola and the Sky Blues.
However, in last night’s game against Liverpool, City hearts were broken, not due to the 2-0 loss that they suffered, but to see their midfield hero Kevin De Bruyne shwoing signs of a massive decline in his form and overall play. It was the Belgian who used to light this fixture in the past few meetings that City and Liverpool had. Prior to Saturday, Salah had never even won a Premier League match at City. It was De Bruyne, not Salah, who scored the goal and provided the assist in April 2023. In 2020, the same thing happened.
The important events, such as the game, eluded De Bruyne this time. There were two noteworthy play passages throughout the ninety minutes that showed that the Belgian was slowly fading in the game. Late in the first half, he was out of ideas and took a left footed shot from outside the box that could only reach the audience as the shot was not even close to hitting the target. Then he was seen toiling hopelessly as he was unable to stop a corner on the hour.
Seeing a real Premier League legend struggle was a little depressing. At 33, how many more outstanding performances do you think City will have before focusing on the rebuild? His standing now appears to have decreased. He did not even come off the bench against Real Madrid. A lot of it has to do with his age and possibly his fitness that is clearly taking a toll. He looks much more tired on the pitch, he gets dispossessed quite easily, his usual strong driving runs from the midfield are absent these days, and the worst of all, his passing seems to have taken a massive dip which is an unusual sighting.
What next for City and De Bruyne?
First question that all the City fans might be having after watching their hero fall is that “who will replace De Bruyne?” Till now, there have been no real updates on City’s next transfer news, but as for De Bruyne, this might just be the legendary midfielder’s last seasons with the club. De Bruyne has had some of his best years with the Cityzens and he is easily one of their best ever players, if not the best, considering his contributions and the things he has done for this club.
However, one thing that City do the best is scout and get some of the best talents into their squad. Replacing the Belgian is without a doubt a monumental task for any player, but according to certain reports, Bayer Leverkusen’s exciting young talent Florian Wirtz has been under the radar of Manchester City recently. Wirtz has been a massive prospect for Leverkusen and if City managed to get this player into their starting lineup, it might be a massive boost. However, filling De Bruyne’s boots, as mentioned earlier, isn’t an easy thing to do but maybe, just maybe, this is the end of an era where the Premier League fans witnessed something special and at times unbelievable, in Kevin De Bruyne.
Kevin De Bruyne’s time at Manchester City might just be coming to an end after his perfroamce against Liverpool. A certain legend of the sport struggled big time against the Reds, so is the time up for the Belgian maestro? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
