Manchester City Season in Review: Kevin De Bruyne

During the close season, Man City Square is going to review each member of the 2015/2016 Manchester City squad and grade them for their year. Next up number 17 Kevin De Bruyne

With all the transfer rumours buzzing around, and goodness knows once people start mentioning Andros Townsend you know we’ve just about linked every professional player to Manchester City, it’s nice to take a step back and look at what was and could yet be. So much of 2015/2016 was spent waiting for it to be over. So long Manuel Pellegrini, see you never fighting for Champions League football, don’t let the door hit you on the way out Wilfried Bony. It was a forgettable season and we’ve been ready for the next one for some time now.

That isn’t to say we weren’t treated to some exceptional individual performances. Arguably the most impressive of these, on the whole, was from Belgian midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne. Much ink has been spilled about Kevin since then Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho showed him the door by never giving him first team football and ultimately giving him to Wolfsburg for a paltry £18 million.

One year later, De Bruyne gets snapped up by Pellegrini’s Manchester City for a still club record £58.4 million after having a season in which he broke the Bundesliga record for assists (27) and also netted some 16 of his own in all competitions. He was also named German Footballer of the Year, likely the first time a player for Wolfsburg has picked up the award usually sponsored by either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund.

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That’s all an aside, but isn’t it satisfying that not only do we have such an incredible talent but we get to enjoy him at the expense of now United boss Mourinho? Obviously, Kevin represents the largest signing in club history in value but is certainly up there in terms of importance and quality too. A linchpin for Belgium, as much as for City, he’s widely recognised as among the best players in Europe.

Last year really cemented that home for City fans, many of whom were understandably sceptical. 16 goals and 9 assists for the Blues in all competitions looks pretty, and it is, especially given he was injured for nearly two months of the season, but it only really tells part of the story. De Bruyne’s primary strength is his ability to be clutch like no other. His key pass rate was the highest in the club at an average 3.2 potential goal scoring passes per game. For those watching the Euros, De Bruyne has the highest key pass rate of any player there at almost 6 (6!) per game.

To describe it another way, there are players who routinely control the game, for City this year Fernandinho came closest and in the past Yaya Toure was the best at this. This isn’t De Bruyne’s game. He waits for his moments and flashes world class quality when it counts. This may not always be the most desirable method of play but there’s a place for it in the current Manchester City line-up and there certainly was last season.

Arguably the wheels came off City’s title hopes only while De Bruyne was injured. Further, our one trophy of the season, the Capital One Cup, was won off the back of De Bruyne who provided a goal and an assist when brought off the substitutes bench to help us come from behind against Everton. His goal against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the quarter finals of the Champions League wasn’t needed for us to reach the next round, but it was easily among the most exhilarating moments of the what was, as mentioned, a forgettable season. Moments like that are what De Bruyne does and did this year.

One could argue that he does, all too often, go missing during large swathes of games, and this is plain for many to see. It’s also important to note that, given his price tag and ability, one expects the world class performances and mouth-watering statistics that he brings. It comes with the territory and perhaps should be coming more consistently.

My feeling is that incoming Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola can iron out the wrinkles in De Bruyne and use him to his top potential. Guardiola is an open and admitted fan of Kevin, baring witness to his jaw-dropping breakout year in the Bundesliga as manager of Bayern Munich. While many signings will come through the doors of the Etihad this Summer and next, you can feel pretty safe in knowing that De Bruyne is solidified in his position in the squad and the starting XI. The only question will be where he chooses to play him.

Next: Guardiola vs Mourinho

Either which way, expect to see much more of Kevin next season too. Call him Pellegrini’s final gift to City, because for all the things that went wrong last season he was definitely something that went right. For that, I give him an 8.5 out of 10 and hope to see that go even higher by next season’s end.