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Kevin de Bruyne urges Manchester City to maintain focus after proving title credentials against Chelsea

The Belgian scored a sublime winning goal in City's impressive 1-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday

Jack Pitt-Brooke
Monday 02 October 2017 07:35 BST
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The forward also said that this year he feels fresher, sharper and stronger
The forward also said that this year he feels fresher, sharper and stronger

It was only the seventh game of Manchester City’s Premier League season, but Kevin de Bruyne knows how important Saturday’s win at Chelsea could be. So important, in fact, that the Belgian midfielder described the 1-0 win as the first ‘six-pointer’ of City’s season.

City’s great failing last season was in games like this, away from home, against the biggest teams. After winning 2-1 at Old Trafford in early September, they went on to lose at White Hart Lane, lose at Anfield, draw at the Emirates and then lose at Stamford Bridge. As De Bruyne said, the performances in those games were not always that bad, but the results were, and that was what cost City.

So for City to start their big trips with this controlled win against the reigning champions was a statement about being a more serious, competitive side this year. This was the first six pointer of the season. “It means that we want to win the big games,” De Bruyne said. “Last year I think we had big games where I think we didn’t do particularly badly, but we had no points to show for it. These are the most important games. It’s just three points, but to win these ones, it is six points in the end.”

Of course City cannot afford to drop points in the easier games either – they already drew 1-1 at home with Everton – but De Bruyne knows that they must be more consistent than they were last season. “It can go both ways: you can win all the big games and then lose all the small ones,” he said. “You need to try to be constant. Obviously in the end of the season when the gap is minimal and you win these big games, it means a lot. It’s nice to get the winning feeling, and stay in the same rhythm.”

For City to beat Chelsea showed that they had a new efficiency in their game, tighter at the back and more incisive at the front. It was a triumph for their summer signings, with Ederson and Kyle Walker both impressive, and also for Guardiola’s tactics. After a season playing 4-3-3 and 3-5-2, Guardiola went to a 3-4-3 yesterday with a lopsided diamond midfield. He shut down Chelsea, dominating the midfield, pinning Marcos Alonso back, and once ahead City were in complete control.

“You know it’s going to be very difficult to come here and win the game because tactically they’re very strong, defensively and on the counter, that’s the way they play,” De Bruyne said. “But we had a good game-plan, and we prevented them from doing that. So I think in the end, especially in the second half, I think we deserved to win the game.”

There were times last season when City’s ambitious, complex pressing game worked against them, leaving too many gaps for the opposition to exploit. But they were far better organised on Saturday and De Bruyne said that was testament to the maturing of the team. City used to look silly in games like this, by De Bruyn’s admission, but not this time.

Kevin de Bruyne secured victory for City with a sublime strike 

“It’s the way we started to play since last year, But obviously you get some growing pains and if somebody makes a mistake, then it looks a little bit silly,” he said. “We put some pressure on in the first half. Obviously it takes hard work, like Chelsea they get their shape, don’t think it comes easy, everybody has to work on their style of play.”

Last year, of course, City could not sustain their strong start, and neither could De Bruyne. But this year he feels fresher, sharper and stronger and hopes that it will continue. With no tournament this summer he has arrived in perfect condition and is confident of keeping it up.

“I said from the beginning of the season that I had a good rest [that I had not had] for a long time, I had a pre-season, that I also did not have for a long time,” he said. “So I could prepare myself mentally and physically for a long season. Some time, last year, I had 10 days of preparation before the start of the season. Sometimes it can catch up to you. It’s not always physically, it’s more mentally, because all the travelling and playing, sometimes you’re a little bit off in your head. Now I feel really fresh.”

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