5:00 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was impressed by the relentlessness of his side in their 3-1 win over Leicester
Guardiola talked up De Bruyne’s defensive work-rate too and he wasn’t the only one. “He’s one of those players where, if you’re a manager, it’s very difficult to be critical of him for anything,” said Carragher. “He’s got a great attitude, he’s great technically, and he’s got the work off the ball too.”
Leicester could not cope with City’s off-the-ball intensity and it was De Bruyne who led the way with their pressing. His touch map showed just how much of the pitch he covered and it was hardly surprising to see him collapse to the turf in exhaustion before his substitution late in the game.
Catching Liverpool may prove beyond Manchester City this year – Jurgen Klopp’s side have a game in hand on top of their 11-point advantage at the top of the table – but there can be no doubts that, on an individual level, De Bruyne is already hitting new heights.
“If you go back two years, he looked almost nailed on to be the PFA Player of the Year until Mo Salah had an unbelievable second half of the season,” added Carragher. “But the way he’s playing now, he looks like the main man in the Premier League and one of the best players in the world.”
The statistics certainly back that up. As well as creating chances at a higher rate than in any of his previous four years at the Etihad Stadium, De Bruyne is only two goals short of his highest total for an entire Premier League season. With six goals and 10 assists so far, only Jamie Vardy, Leicester’s scorer on Saturday, has a higher combined total.
It’s little wonder Guardiola sees him as City’s match-winner – even when he does not score the goals himself. Kevin De Bruyne is on a level of his own.
Watch Watford vs Manchester United (kick-off 2pm) and Tottenham vs Chelsea (kick-off 4.30pm) live on Sky Sports Premier League HD on Sunday
Sourse: skysports.com
