Premier League
De Bruyne bids Man City farewell as one of the all-time greats
When Manchester City signed Kevin De Bruyne for a record fee in 2015, the sceptics wondered if the Belgian who flopped at Chelsea was worth the money, but after a decade of remarkable service he will leave the club as a Premier League great.
Few have had the ability to alter the course of a game like De Bruyne did in his prime as he became the central cog in City’s all-conquering side.
But after injuries limited his appearances in the last two campaigns, the 33-year-old De Bruyne has decided to leave the club at the end of the season, with his legacy as one of the league’s best ever creative playmakers set in stone.
“Football led me to all of you and to this city. Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life,” De Bruyne said.
“This city, this club, these people gave me everything. I had no choice but to give everything back! And guess what – we won everything.”
When the sun sets on his City career, De Bruyne will leave the club second on the list for most Premier League assists (currently on 118) – behind only Ryan Giggs, who needed 22 years to amass 162.
De Bruyne also equalled Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a season in the 2019-20 campaign while no player has created more chances than the Belgian since his City debut in 2015.
He has been involved in 280 goals for City in all competitions, which include 174 assists.
His glittering decade-long City career will finish with six Premier League titles, five League Cups, two FA Cups with potentially a third next month and a Champions League crown the club strived so hard to win after several failures.
The construction of another statue outside the Etihad Stadium to mark his achievements seems almost inevitable.
“I would bet a lot of money that it (building a statue to honour De Bruyne) is going to happen,” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
“There’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest, for sure.”
‘THE 60 MILLION REJECT’
None of this was foreseen, however, when he made his return to England, with one unforgiving newspaper taking great pains to paint him as “The 60 million pound reject”.
Following an ill-fated spell at Chelsea where he was rarely used by Jose Mourinho and sent out on loan twice, De Bruyne left England and made a name for himself at VfL Wolfsburg.
He dazzled in Germany with 20 goals and 37 assists in 73 games for Wolfsburg before City decided to splurge on the then 24-year-old.
A fee in the region of 50 million pounds ($65.08 million) was spent to make him City’s most expensive signing and the first thing he said was that he wanted to “reach the highest level possible as a player” at City, which he certainly did.
Only a handful of players have the ability to see two moves ahead and make a pass with incredible and devastating precision.
Be it threading the needle or finding a teammate with a teasing cross into the box, De Bruyne’s passes were consistently highlight reel material.
Even when he was not assisting his teammates, defenders were wary of his ability to drive through midfield as well as his eye for goal and unerring knack of finding the top corner.
When Guardiola took over at City in 2016, he knew the squad he inherited needed major surgery.
But after a decade of players coming and going at the club, De Bruyne has remained a constant in an era when City made winning a habit.
“His assists, his goals, his vision in the final third is so difficult to replace. Everyone can make actions but over how many years and games is what makes him unique,” Guardiola said.
“His performance during this decade has been outstanding. We’ve won a lot of trophies and he’s been involved in every single one.
-Reuters
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Anthony Elanga’s breakaway goal against his former club earned high-flying Nottingham Forest a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The Swede left Old Trafford to make way for big-money signing Antony two years ago and played like he had a point to prove at the City Ground, scoring what proved to be the winner, having run two thirds of the pitch, just five minutes in.
Diogo Dalot’s first-half header came out off the crossbar, while substitute Mason Mount fizzed a late strike wide, but otherwise the below-par visitors were again lacking the cutting edge they need to rectify their miserable season.
The victory helps Forest continue their remarkable campaign, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed side now eight points clear of Chelsea in fourth, while United’s first league loss in five leaves them 13th in the standings.
“We controlled the game, but we already knew this team can score goals out of nothing,” United boss Ruben Amorim told TNT Sports.
“When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We tried with good opportunities, but in the last third, the last pass, the last assist wasn’t there. Then if we don’t have that, we cannot score goals.”
Following their 3-2 win at Old Trafford in December, Forest came into the contest looking to complete their first league double over United since 1991-92 under Brian Clough.
They were soon on their way as Elanga made his former club pay for some slack defending, Forest scoring the opening goal of a Premier League match for the 23rd time this term – more than any other side.
In contrast, only Leicester City have conceded the opening goal in more matches among all Premier League sides than United in all competitions.
United continued to struggle to create any real openings of note. Amorim summoned Rasmus Hojlund, fresh from breaking his 22-hour goal drought against Leicester last time out, for a second-half reshuffle.
The visitors, however, remained toothless in attack. The introduction of Harry Maguire late on gave them an additional threat, with one effort in stoppage time cleared off the line by Forest defender Murillo.
Forest held on comfortably as they moved a step closer to returning to Europe’s elite club competition next season for the first time in 45 years.
“Suffer, hard work, believe, helping each other, clearance on the line,” Nuno said. “It was a very hard game for us.
“The records, the boys are breaking all of them and today the City Ground was part of the game.”
United fell to their 13th Premier League defeat, their second-most in a single campaign in the competition, one short of their record of 14 in 2023-24.
-Reuters
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka could make his long-awaited return against Fulham in the Premier League on Tuesday after recovering from a hamstring injury, his manager Mikel Arteta said.
The 23-year-old England international, who has scored nine goals and provided 14 assists in 24 matches in all competitions for Arsenal this season, has been sidelined since December.
“Saka is ready to go,” Arteta told reporters on Monday. “All the careful things are already done. Now it’s about putting him in the grass at the right moment. But he’s pushing because he really wants to.
“Bukayo is a massive weapon that we have. We know the impact he has in the team and how important his role and contribution is to our success. It’s great to have him back again.”
Arsenal, who trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 12 points with nine games remaining, host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final next week.
“It is the energy that he (Saka) transmits. He has missed the thing that he loves the most in his life — which is to be around the team, to play, train and compete at the highest level,” Arteta added.
“The fact that he is able to come in the most important part of the season is a massive boost for him and the team as well.”
Arsenal’s Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori was injured on international duty.
Calafiori, 22, had to leave the pitch towards the end of Italy’s 2-1 defeat by Germany in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final.
“It was really unfortunate how that injury happened but it could have been much worse,” Arteta said.
“(Dutch defender Jurrien) Timber has been ill for long but he has felt much better in the last few days, so he is available.”
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Fulham in December. “We had a good time to reflect and reset and put ourselves in a good position to go into the most exciting part of the Premier League season,” Arteta said.
-Reuters
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The battle for a place in the Champions League is the focus of attention in the final two months of the English Premier League season, with the title race and relegation battle seemingly a foregone conclusion.
Liverpool are storming clear with a 12-point lead over Arsenal at the top, while at the bottom Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton are set for an immediate return to the second-tier Championship.
A strong season by English sides in European competitions means it is almost certain that a top-five finish will secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
And the race to be in Europe’s elite club competition has never been more open as the Premier League’s middle class has taken advantage of a woeful season for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea and Manchester City occupy fourth and fifth on 49 and 48 points respectively with nine games to go but both also still have plenty to do after their struggles for consistent form.
Here is a look at the prospects of four surprise Champions League challengers.
Nottingham Forest (third, 54 points)
Forest may have plenty of historical pedigree in continental competition, but they have not been in the European Cup since they were defending champions in 1980.
After a 23-year absence from the Premier League and just battling to avoid relegation in the past two seasons, the Tricky Trees have stunned everyone to sit behind only Liverpool and Arsenal at the top of the table and have made it to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have a seven-point cushion in the race for a top-five finish and a favourable fixture run-in.
Forest face only two sides in the top half, Chelsea and Aston Villa, in their final nine games.
Brighton & Hove Albion (seventh, 47 points)
The Seagulls have taken 13 points from a possible 15 to roar back into Champions League contention in Fabian Hurzeler’s first season in charge.
The wheels could have come off for the 32-year-old when his ultra attacking line-up away to Forest in February backfired in a humiliating 7-0 defeat.
At that point, Brighton had won just twice in the Premier League in 12 games, but they have bounced back impressively to keep dreams of a first-ever foray into the Champions League alive.
Fulham (eighth, 45 points)
Fulham are another club never to have reached Europe’s elite level but are back in the running after their own mid-season stumble.
Marco Silva’s men won just twice in 10 games between late November and mid-January, but have beaten Forest, Newcastle United and Tottenham in their last six league maches.
However, they face a tough run if they are to qualify for Europe for the first time in 14 years.
The Cottagers face Arsenal and Liverpool in their next two and host City on the final day of the season.
Bournemouth (10th, 44 points)
The Cherries’ chances of a first-ever European adventure have suffered in a run of one point from their last four league games.
Andoni Iraola’s men appeared to be tiring before the international break and showed signs of fatigue in an FA Cup quarter-final loss to City over the weekend after taking a first-half lead.
The visit of struggling Ipswich on April 2 gives Bournemouth the perfect chance to kickstart their pursuit of the top five in what is likely to be the final few months before this squad is broken up.
Iraola himself is reportedly the man Tottenham want to succeed Ange Postecoglou if the Australian does not deliver the Europa League.
Milos Kerkez and Antoine Semenyo have been linked with Liverpool, while Dean Huijsen is attracting interest from Real Madrid.
-AFP
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