There is a De Bruyne conundrum at Manchester City that his teammates must solve | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne did all he could for Manchester City today during their nil-all draw with Southampton at St. Mary’s. He tried to unpick the lock that was a stubborn Southampton defence. But, unfortunately for Pep Guardiola’s side, he couldn’t as City dropped points in their bid to secure Champions League football for next season. Manchester City’s performance against Southampton until the game’s closing stages was pedestrian at best. But it also showed that there is a De Bruyne conundrum amongst this Manchester City squad. It’s a riddle that his teammates must solve.

Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City teammates are too quick to defer to him when the going gets tough.

Watching Manchester City’s nil-all draw with Southampton was a frustrating experience. Southampton deserve credit for their defending and determination at the back. That must be said. But looking at it from a City point of view shows another issue entirely.

Manchester City’s first-half performance was lacklustre. Pep Guardiola’s side was content to play the ball sideways and offer no attacking threat. But when there was no option to be found, Kevin De Bruyne’s teammates were too quick to defer to him to unlock Southampton’s defence. That stood out in the first half. It changed with Jeremy Doku’s introduction at half time and with Phil Foden’s switch to the right wing in the second half. But as Manchester City got desperate to find a late winner, too much was left to De Bruyne. That’s the conundrum that De Bruyne’s teammates have to solve going forward.

Kevin De Bruyne has three games left in his City career, and he shouldn’t be expected to carry his team through them.

Too often today, the ball was played back to De Bruyne in the hope that he’d play a magical cross or a De Bruyne ball that would win today’s game for Manchester City. De Bruyne is capable of those pieces of magic. But they are less frequent than they used to be. He shouldn’t be expected to be the hero for Pep Guardiola’s side in their time of need anymore. De Bruyne is 33 years old with miles on his legs. He is, and should be, an inspirational figure to his teammates. Not deferred to when the going gets tough. When Manchester City needed a locksmith today, too often, City’s players were content to rely on De Bruyne to be it. He shouldn’t be expected to be that at this late stage of his City career.

The burden to unlock teams after De Bruyne’s departure will fall on Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and others. Omar Marmoush isn’t included in this as he only played the latter stages of today’s game. But today’s game was the opportunity for others to lift City to victory. The fact that De Bruyne was relied upon too much today shows what Manchester City’s players need to do to fill the void De Bruyne’s impending departure creates.

Summary.

There are potentially only three more games left in Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City career. That is a sobering thought, but it is the reality of the situation. It would be unfair on De Bruyne to be tasked with lifting his side through those games. His teammates need to carry that mantle alongside him. That stood out today against Southampton as they deferred to him too often. Today’s result isn’t the end of the world in Manchester City’s season, but it did show that De Bruyne’s teammates need to step up. That stood out as Manchester City couldn’t unlock a determined Southampton defence.