Kevin De Bruyne inspires Manchester City to comeback victory as his victory tour turns into rescue operation

It will not be relieved to a life of semi-retirement in MLS or elsewhere for Kevin De Bruyne. Pep Guardiola has a final job for him and the proof of Manchester City comes from behind 5-2 victory over Crystal Palace, nobody is better qualified for the task.

De Bruyne was brilliant. City needed him to be. A real false nine, its manipulation of the space, left the Crystal Palace three bamboozled, creating the space for people like Omar Marmoush and Ilkay Gundogan to crash against. Since the latter was freed from defensive responsibility and authorized to let his third man shoot in the box, there was a pleasant retro atmosphere to the tactical makeup of the city.

When the hosts clicked from half an hour (the best not to talk about the form before half an hour when they went with two goals), there was little palace. The side of Oliver Glasner is one of the Premier League form outfits, someone who had not let in for Christmas since Christmas and had only been defeated twice. However, when De Bruyne started weaving his sorcery, they had no answers. His immersing free kick halved 2-0 behind 33 minutes, a header back over the goal was thrown by Gundogan but drilled home by Marmoush. Back to the goal early in the second half, he had the feeling of spirit to drop the ball for Mateo Kovacic to drill the goal that city was in charge.

Because of all this, the death was irresistible. A cross through the best holes for Marmoush earned an assist. Many others did that too. He kept the court just outside the right corner of the penalty area and seemed to produce time to assess his environment, wait until the run comes to deliver a ball to perfection.

This was De Bruyne of the before Haaland, the central spoke where the rest of the attack turned around. Everyone eats offset, five goals and five scorers from them. After having tried a few different looks by his side since the Big Norwegian injured his near-end injury, Pep Guardiola seems to have found an attack that works.

Also not for the time. The victory moves to fourth place, but if Chelsea and Newcastle United win their matches in hand, the Kings of England, who is deposited, will slide out of the Champions League qualifying places. Their season is still on a knife edge; It is not possible to think for them what could happen if De Bruyne simply slips down the level of performance that he has delivered most of this season, let alone if he suffers another injuries that his dusk years spoiled in the city. His interest is now just as deep as it has ever been.

All the more considering that the district defense always looked like it would demand the best of De Bruyne. The young full backs Nico O’Reilly and Rico Lewis were dragged too easily out of position, the latter was punished when he lost six minutes in the eye of Ebereechi Eze. Bad organization allowed Chris Richards to go home from a corner. Only the first intervention of the Premier League of semi-automated offside technology Eze denied a second, the incentive that De Bruyne convinced he needed to take the lead about this competition.

It is a disturbing sign for the city that they need the game to be saved by a 33-year-old whose body has failed him. Still a few performances such as this one for De Bruyne and he can ride in the sunset in a heroic way.