"The conductor" Kevin de Bruyne

(Baonghean) - Kevin de Bruyne was given the opportunity to be the playmaker for Man City when the Spanish player David Silva was absent due to injury, and the Belgian player proved he deserved the trust of coach Pellegrini.

Kevin de Bruyne moved to Manchester City in the final week of this summer's transfer window for a record fee of £51.80 million from Wolfsburg (Germany). He was expected to bring even more versatility and effectiveness to The Citizens' attack. However, upon joining Man City, Bruyne will have to compete with the Citizens' "Galacticos." The ball won't be consistently supplied to him alone; instead, the attacking burden will be shared among other midfield players capable of creating breakthroughs, such as Sterling, Navas, and Silva.

Despite facing difficulties, this player delivered an outstanding performance in the match against West Ham in the fifth round of the Premier League. Prior to this, Davis Silva was injured and forced to miss matches. Coach Manuel Pellegrini did not hesitate to field Bruyne in the "number 10" position, replacing Silva. This was unprecedented for the Chilean strategist, as he is not in the habit of immediately giving new signings a chance upon their arrival at Etihad. Examples include star players who spent long periods warming the bench, such as Negredo, Martin Demichelis, and Eliaquim Mangala. This shows that the Chilean coach views Bruyne differently from the other new signings he brought in previously.

Although Man City lost to West Ham, Pellegrini still found some consolation in Bruyne's outstanding performance in his first start, demonstrating his worth and excelling as a playmaker in City's attack. He showed no signs of being unfamiliar with his new team's style of play and, on the contrary, provided excellent support to the underperforming attacking players. It was a day where the Belgian playmaker gave his all. He was present almost everywhere on the pitch, from the right wing to the left, attacking from all sides in the midfield, and almost every attacking move bore Bruyne's mark. He displayed composure and played his role as the "master" of the Blues' attack with great skill and effectiveness. Bruyne's long, difficult passes were never out of the question, and he never needed two touches to control the ball. His subsequent skillful and decisive passes were highly effective and straightforward. Although Manchester City lost the match, the Blues had countless chances in front of West Ham goalkeeper Adrian's goal. And the majority of those opportunities were created by Bruyne. He made 70 passes in the game, with an accuracy rate of 81.4%, creating four clear-cut scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Bruyne took two shots himself, one of which resulted in a goal. It was a very successful opening match for Bruyne personally. And there's no doubt about that in the second match, the English League Cup against Sunderland. Bruyne and his teammates secured a resounding victory at Sunderland's home ground. In this match, the Belgian player scored one goal himself and also provided an assist for a teammate's goal.

In his two appearances as a "maestro," De Bruyne has demonstrated the qualities of a great player, a true leader in Manchester City's attack—something The Citizens still lack to become a powerful force in European football. If manager Manuel Pellegrini boldly trusts Bruyne's abilities and allows him to take on the role of playmaker in The Citizens' attack, Manchester City could very well thrive in all competitions this season.

Duc Anh