This season’s Premier League title race will likely come
down to the wire.
During the most recent matchday, Manchester City took a
significant step forward in the chase for the title. The Citizens beat
Tottenham 1-0, with Phil Foden scoring City’s winning goal. It was also City’s second
victory over Spurs in less than a week. City beat Spurs 4-3 in the second leg
of a Champions League quarterfinal thriller, though that victory was in vain as
City were knocked out on away goals.
This latest victory put City just two points behind
league leaders Liverpool; however, in City’s favour is the fact that they have
four matches remaining while Liverpool have three.
However, City’s victory might have come at a tremendous
cost; it could even potentially end up ruining their league title bid.
In the 38th minute, City’s star midfielder Kevin De
Bruyne was forced off due to a hamstring injury. He was replaced by
Fernandinho.
While it is never a good time for a team to lose their
best player through injury, this could not have come at a worse time for City.
City’s next Premier League match will be a derby against
bitter rivals Manchester United. What makes this particular Manchester derby even
more dangerous for City is the fact that United are coming off a crushing 4-0
loss to Everton. Thus, the Red Devils will be desperate for redemption and
especially eager to prove themselves in what is already one of world football’s
fiercest rivalry matches.
With City set to be short of their Belgian ace, this derby
represents an excellent opportunity for United to boost their bid for a spot in
next season’s Champions League. However, the match will have even greater
significance than that alone.
Adding to the intrigue surrounding the upcoming derby is
the fact that it could decide who wins the Premier League this season.
Liverpool’s final three league matches will be against
Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United, and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Meanwhile,
after the Manchester derby, City will close out their league campaign against
Burnley, Leicester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Both the Reds and Citizens will be expected to finish their
respective league seasons with three wins. Thus, should everything else go as
expected and neither side choke during the final stretch of matches, the
Manchester derby will end up becoming the title decider. A United win or a draw
will see Liverpool win the league; for City, only a victory for them will
suffice.
The importance of De Bruyne to this City team cannot be overstated.
De Bruyne is arguably the best passer in world football
today. Prior to this season, De Bruyne had recorded 64 assists in 133 league
matches over the preceding four seasons. In doing so, he led his league in
assists three times: once in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in 2015 and twice in
the Premier League with City in 2017 and 2018.
His passing genius formed the foundation for City’s
formidable offense as they won last season’s Premier League title by a massive
19-point margin. One could also easily argue that De Bruyne was robbed of
Premier League Player of the Season title; it was Liverpool striker Mo Salah
who claimed that accolade.
But it’s not just about the passing when it comes to De
Bruyne’s overall game.
Very few players today are able to survey the match
situation, then make the correct play as consistently as De Bruyne does. His
play might not be as flashy as that of the likes of Luka Modrić, Ángel Di María,
or his compatriot Eden Hazard, but it is no less effective.
De Bruyne’s current season has been ravaged by injury. He
has played in just 14 of City’s 34 league matches thus far this season. Given De
Bruyne’s track record regarding injuries, this is an unpleasant surprise; this
figure represents the most matches he has ever missed in a season by a long
way. It also looks as though this latest injury could be the most critical of
all.
Although Manchester City’s win over Tottenham meant that
they maintained control of the league title race, the injury sustained by Kevin
De Bruyne in that victory might have caused City to lose the war despite
winning the battle.
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