What Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City club might do next is suggested by the selection of Kevin De Bruyne as the new captain of Belgium.
Kevin De Bruyne has accomplished a lot already, but in 2023, his career might reach new heights. Despite having four goals and 13 assists in the Premier League this season, De Bruyne and Manchester City feel that something is still missing. De Bruyne has even been benched in crucial games, which is unprecedented under Pep Guardiola’s leadership, which is surprising. De Bruyne, however, appears to have found his energy and spark again, which is essential for Guardiola’s team. Given this, Guardiola now has a simple choice to make about the future of the team, including De Bruyne and the other well-known players.
Having recently been elected the new captain of the Belgium national team, Kevin De Bruyne is expected to have 99 international appearances when he returns from his current sabbatical. He also stands to get greater individual and team prominence at Manchester City. Even though Erling Haaland’s stunning five-goal performance against RB Leipzig attracted a lot of attention, De Bruyne’s performance had the biggest impact, especially considering that the team still has more difficult games to play as they target elusive European honors.
Pep Guardiola also acknowledged De Bruyne’s value to the squad in his post-game press conference, saying that after seven years of working with him, he didn’t need to “discover” De Bruyne’s brilliance. Guardiola hasn’t been particularly effusive in his praise for De Bruyne this season, but his on-field performance demonstrates that he still has a key position for the squad. Although De Bruyne’s stats this season haven’t been as stunning as in prior campaigns, most players find them to be noteworthy. Despite this, De Bruyne’s true priorities are a fifth Premier League championship and his first Champions League medal, both of which he may win this year. He would value these accomplishments more than any other person.
Pep Guardiola publicly urged De Bruyne to do better, but he was still chosen for the crucial game against Leipzig, where he put on a strong display, demonstrating how much the manager appreciates the player. Erling Haaland’s five goals made headlines, but De Bruyne was the one who guided the squad to victory. In the FA Cup match against his former captain Vincent Kompany, he put on a strong performance against Burnley and contributed two assists. De Bruyne’s recent selection as captain of the Belgium national team highlights his leadership abilities and raises the possibility that he could someday succeed David De Gea as Manchester City’s captain.
