Kevin De Bruyne has revealed Pep Guardiola and his stars want to kill off title rivals Manchester United by Christmas.
Manchester City have unleashed a brutal assault on the Premier League, opening up a five-point gap over Jose Mourinho’s United side with a spectacular goal avalanche that has swept aside all comers.
Since the 1-1 draw against Everton at the Etihad in their second game of the campaign, Guardiola has seen his unbeaten men win eight straight league games to leave many predicting they could have the title wrapped up by the end of December.
And assist king De Bruyne has called on City’s stars to squeeze the life out of United and be out sight by the first derby at Old Trafford on December 10.
City take on Arsenal at the Etihad today while United face a tough test at Chelsea.
De Bruyne said City must take advantage of their momentum as they look to extend a 21-game unbeaten run in all competitions – the longest in the club’s history.
The Belgium playmaker said: “We are very happy to be five points ahead of United and a little bit more ahead of the rest.
“But we need to put pressure on in the next big games coming up so it gives us a good advantage going into winter. The difference from last season is that we are winning.
“I don’t think we had a bad season last year, but against the top teams where we had good games we couldn't finish it off – now we are doing that.”
In the games against their title rivals, City have come out on top, savaging Liverpool 5-0 and beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to a
De Bruyne special.
City have scored 35 goals in their 10 league games so far and the defence that was supposed to be their weakness boasts the second-best record, having conceded just two more than neighbours United.
Guardiola’s men are blazing a trail in Europe too, with four straight Champions League group wins earning qualification to the knockout phase with two games to spare.
It is adding up to a season where anything seems possible, with De Bruyne admitting the arrivals of keeper Ederson, midfielder Bernardo Silva and defenders Kyle Walker, Danilo and Benjamin Mendy has given City a mix of skill, pace and hunger.
De Bruyne added: “Probably it was all about getting used to what Pep wanted and the new guys who came in are probably also more suited to the style we play.
“It’s a very fast, physical game now and there are a lot of young guys with a lot of energy. It’s not always easy for a manager to come in and change a whole system and expect everyone to just go with it, but the players have adapted well.”
No one has impressed more than De Bruyne, who has scored 25 goals and made 45 assists in 104 games for the club.
The 26-year-old, who is negotiating a new £200,000-a week deal to commit to City until 2022, acknowledges he is in the form of his life.
But he added: “To be honest, I feel like I’ve been playing good for years now with not a lot of dips.
“But I know there will be games this season where I may not even assist or score.
“So, statistically, I will have games where I will be performing less than I was before, but overall I think I am playing slightly better anyway.”
Despite the high intensity demanded by Guardiola, De Bruyne says City’s stars are juggling the Premier League and Champions League perfectly.
He added: “It’s always a tough week when you go away in the Champions League.
“The amount of games makes it difficult to prepare both physically and mentally.
“But we are coping with it and, hopefully, we can do that against Arsenal.”