Manchester, Sep 17 (AP) Kevin De Bruyne has embraced his new journey at Napoli with grace, easily adapting to a new club, country, culture, and even a different position. However, this week marks a significant return for the 34-year-old midfielder as he heads back to his former life with Manchester City.
Napoli's Champions League curtain-raiser on Thursday will be a poignant occasion for De Bruyne. He makes a swift return to Manchester City, merely months after a tearful farewell at the Etihad Stadium, departing a club where he spent a decade securing various trophies and earning a place in the hearts of fans who dubbed him “King Kev.” Having flourished under Pep Guardiola for nine years, De Bruyne is now seamlessly integrating into Antonio Conte's team at Napoli, scoring two goals in three games to kickstart Napoli's title defense successfully.
Conte praised De Bruyne's versatility after a 3-1 triumph against Fiorentina, labeling him somewhat of a genius. “We are crafting a new role for him that aligns with his unique abilities,” Conte explained. His diverse midfield at Napoli has led to a tactical adjustment that lets De Bruyne and Scott McTominay alternate between central and more unconventional wide positions.
The duo of De Bruyne and McTominay has shown early promise, leveraging their physical strengths, awareness, and goal-scorer instincts as they fluidly swap roles. Conte emphasized the necessity for a coach to harmonize a squad teeming with talent and revealed that De Bruyne's tactical role allows him to thrive since he relishes ball control.
De Bruyne's teammate McTominay also transitioned from Manchester to Naples, moving from Manchester United and eventually being crowned Serie A's MVP in his debut year. Inspired by McTominay's success, Conte further tapped into Manchester talent, signing Rasmus Hojlund on loan from United after Romelu Lukaku sustained an injury shortly after De Bruyne came on board.
Hojlund, who scored on his debut, was a strategic acquisition, Conte noted. “We recognized Rasmus’ critical skills and potential,” he said with a smile, attributing part of his recruitment strategy to previous success with McTominay. De Bruyne's emotional departure from Manchester was underscored by a heartfelt speech to City fans, assuring them of a future return. Now, much sooner than anticipated, De Bruyne is on the brink of revisiting the iconic stadium where a statue will soon commemorate his legendary contributions.
Post-De Bruyne City
Manchester City is facing a challenging phase post-De Bruyne, necessitating Pep Guardiola to innovate new strategies to sustain goal opportunities for star striker Erling Haaland without the unparalleled creative input De Bruyne provided over a decade. The responsibility is expected to be distributed among several talented midfielders.
Rayan Cherki, acquired from Lyon as a potential main creator, will remain sidelined for two months due to a thigh injury. Tijjani Reijnders, another recent midfield addition, assumes a deeper role on the pitch, focusing more on a box-to-box approach rather than the creative playmaker duties De Bruyne excelled in.
Phil Foden is seen as a long-term prospect for driving City’s attack, although he is currently vying to regain peak form. Wingers Jeremy Doku and Omar Marmoush have contributed assists to Haaland this season but exhibit inconsistency.
City lacks a direct replacement for De Bruyne, whose departure left a significant void due to his unique talent for creating goal opportunities from any field position through an extraordinary passing range. Guardiola's challenge is to reconfigure his team’s approach in De Bruyne’s absence.
Thursday’s match places Guardiola in an unusual position to strategize not just how to replace De Bruyne’s creativity but also how to counteract it. "I think he will enjoy coming back home," Doku remarked regarding his Belgium teammate. "But we're not giving any leeway on the pitch," he concluded with determination.
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