Kevin de Bruyne, a Belgian playmaker, helps Haaland make dangerous runs for a HaalBruyne Hurricane inside the box.
Kevin de Bruyne, a Belgian playmaker, helps Haaland make dangerous runs for a HaalBruyne Hurricane inside the box. What is the very first thing that a defender facing Manchester City sees? Your gaze inevitably lands on the towering center forward in the opposing half, who remains still as he awaits the referee’s whistle.
Erling Haaland’s massive frame will rip away from his marker and maraud toward the opposing goal at a fast speed as soon as the whistle blows, making the defender’s worst nightmare a reality.
You can bet that whenever the Norwegian forward makes one of those runs, the ball will eventually find its way to the back of the net thanks to the efforts of one Kevin de Bruyne.
Opponents were scared of Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne when they first signed with Manchester City. The Belgian’s contributions to some of Haaland’s most absolutely stunning goals across all competitions have made those fears a reality.
In comparison to his peers, de Bruyne has the distinct advantage of being able to seamlessly transition into any position his manager requires.
When the legendary Sergio Aguero left City, he stepped in and finished the season as the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals. Since Haaland’s arrival, he has reverted to his more traditional role as an attacking midfielder this season.
His two assists versus Wolves this season were from overlapping runs by his teammates, who were fed by the Belgium playmaker, and he has now shifted to a preferred position on the right wing, where he can create with either foot.
His position has also been altered, with the central attacking midfielder now cutting away from the right side of the penalty area, drawing defenders with him and therefore creating extra space for Haaland inside the box.
Here are just a few instances where the Man City scoring machine and the team’s primary creative force have worked perfectly together:
Vs Manchester United (Oct 2)
In the 36th minute of Sunday’s Manchester derby, de Bruyne provided the most recent assist on the list. Belgian mastermind’s pinpoint cross inside United’s penalty area brought down Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez simultaneously.
Haaland showed his athleticism by directing the lofted ball past De Gea with an extended foot, and the ball arrived at its intended goal with exquisite accuracy. The pass looked routine at first glance, but upon slow-motion review, it became clear that de Bruyne had placed the ball precisely to avoid being intercepted by the two center backs and to find its way to the chosen target, a soaring Norwegian.
Vs Sevilla (Sept 7)
Another assist, this time from Kevin de Bruyne, who dribbled the ball into the penalty area but played a beautiful through pass to a charging Aad Haaland, who appeared to have grown wings inside the box. The ball confused the Sevilla defense and the goalkeeper before landing in the net off the boots of a middle-of-the-pack Haaland player.
The combination of the Norwegian’s speed and deftness in avoiding the offside trap with de Bruyne’s pinpoint passing allows City to play to its greatest strength. Haaland appears to be the missing piece of the puzzle as far as finding the ideal CF who will attack the balls inside the penalty area.
Vs Aston Villa (Sept 3)
This could go down as one of the team’s best goals ever. De Bruyne receives the ball, dribbles to his right, and plays a curler, all while sprinting, that flies past goalkeeper Martinez’s reach and finds Haaland near the back post at a less-than-ideal angle.
The giant Norwegian leaped forward and gently touched the ball into the Villa net with his left foot from a hanging position. Any other striker would have had a hard time merely getting to the ball, but Erling Haaland had no such problems. His effortlessness is impressive.
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