Wednesday 2 November 2016 00:46, UK
How Pep Guardiola's tactical switch mid-game put Kevin De Bruyne centre stage in Manchester City's win over Barcelona...
Pep Guardiola had described Manchester City's Champions League group stage game with Barcelona as "like a final" ahead of kick-off, such was the importance for his side to produce a result. Kevin De Bruyne stepped up to the occasion.
The Belgian has already produced moments of brilliance this season - his opportunist goal in the Manchester derby, his cunning free-kick against Bournemouth - and there were stunning stand out moments in City's 3-1 win over Barcelona.
His free-kick to put City 2-1 up was a combination of improvisation and technique; De Bruyne spotted Marc-Andre ter Stegen creeping to his right and capitalised by executing a swerving shot to the 'keeper's left.
Then De Bruyne came up with a perfectly-weighted slide-rule through ball into the right channel for substitute Jesus Navas to cross to Sergio Aguero. The ball deflected off the striker for Ilkay Gundogan to tuck in his second and seal the win.
But while those two instances directly led to goals, it was De Bruyne's all-round play which helped City produce the "unbelievable game" described by Gundogan, which they needed to beat Luis Enrique's side.
De Bruyne misplaced just two of his 26 passes all night. A remarkable display of accuracy and precision, given that the majority of those passes were played high up the field, under pressure from Barcelona's press, in an attempt to create openings.
Going the other way, no City player made more than his four tackles.
However, for much of the first half, De Bruyne, like City in general, struggled to get on the ball. It was only when Guardiola moved him from out wide on the left to a more central role late in the half that he - and City - began to dominate.
From then on, the Belgian led many of City's counter-attacks, either driving with the ball into the Barcelona half or by exchanging damaging passes with Aguero, Raheem Sterling and David Silva.
He was at the heart of City's forward play and from one such break nearly doubled his personal tally, but the 25-year-old clipped the outside of Ter Stegen's post with a bending low drive from the edge of the box.
"Change of positions of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva just before the equaliser and going 4-4-2, pressing and playing counter-attack has changed this game," tweeted Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.
The touchmap above highlights the contrast between De Bruyne's first half display, where he was limited to the wide areas, with his playmaking, dictating central role in the second.
De Bruyne touched the ball just seven times in the first 40 minutes. After his move infield he touched it 35 times in the next 49 minutes, before he was substituted to a standing ovation just before the final whistle. It was the key tactical switch in the match.
"Kevin helped us a lot as a second striker," Guardiola said afterwards. "In the second half we were different, I saw them upbeat and we could make the 3 v 2 at times. And ultimately, the sureness that they had in that first half, we were able to turn that around."
City had lost their previous five Champions League meetings against Barcelona but their win on Tuesday night could be a landmark moment. "I think it lifts Manchester City into a new, better place that they can really build on now," said Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn.
A win over Borussia Monchengladbach will see City qualify for the knockout phase. They'll be looking to De Bruyne to deliver again.
