To say Erling Haaland had the perfect home debut for Manchester City on Saturday when he didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet may seem somewhat churlish, but that is how Kevin De Bruyne would have viewed it.
As City looked as slick as ever in front of goal, scoring four with ease against newly-promoted Bournemouth – a display Cherries’ boss Scott Parker was in awe of afterwards – Haaland cut a frustrated figure, with the irritation etched on his face as he was substituted in the second half.
But for De Bruyne, Haaland’s performance, offering City an outlet up front they have not had for a long while, even during the latter part of Sergio Aguero’s time at the club, was an eye opener.
It gave him an early sighter of what could be an opportunity to do the one thing he has not been able to achieve in England – a truly goal-laden campaign.
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But, like every top manager, Guardiola and his systems have had to evolve and that means that now, just as Jurgen Klopp has done with bringing in Darwin Nunez as an out-and-out No 9 at Liverpool, the Spaniard now builds his attack around Haaland – his first recognised central striker for several years.
De Bruyne has been one of those players often asked to fulfil the false nine role, to great success. With runners from all sides, the Belgian has been able to call upon his unfathomable array of passes to lead the assists charts time and again, all while contributing a decent amount of goals, without ever leading the club’s goalscoring list.
Last term saw De Bruyne enjoy his best season in front of goal, as he helped himself to 15 league strikes, but it was only the second time the 31-year-old has passed double figures in seven campaigns in Manchester.
Such a fact is not a stick with which to beat De Bruyne with – his goal return for City is impressive for a midfielder – but Kaizen is the mantra with which City operate to, as they always look at ways to continually improve.
The next stage for De Bruyne to reach in his incredible career is to have a Frank Lampard season in front of goal. He is more than capable, and now, thanks to Haaland, he has more space in which to hone his goalscoring craft yet further.
“If they have a line of four (defenders) it’s very condensed but because of Erling being the focal point, the defender cannot jump to him,” De Bruyne said after the match.
“I think throughout my career it’s been between 10 and 15 (goals a season) so it depends on many things. I try to get maybe in more situations where I can score but obviously it depends how the side are set up.”
With Haaland at the tip of City’s setup, opposition defenders have a different challenge to contend with. Dragging three Bournemouth defenders with him when swivelling on the edge of the penalty area in the 19th minute on Saturday, Haaland created space for Ilkay Gundogan to run into, before supplying the Germany international with the perfect pass to score his opener.
Then, with the Nordic marksman diverting Bournemouth attentions once more, De Bruyne was allowed to carry the ball to the edge of the box, relatively unchallenged, before curling a sumptuous second into the net – space that may not have been afforded to him without a striker ahead of him.
The goals will flow for Haaland, regardless of how many markers he has. City are too good at creating chances and the 22-year-old is far too lethal to be stopped by most mere mortals, but his uses do not stop with his record of finding the net.
And we saw what happens when you give De Bruyne time to pick his spot on Saturday. Operating in those additional spaces Haaland’s movement provides could unleash a more beguiling Belgian beast altogether, creating a new-found goalscoring asset to make a near imperious City side even more formidable.
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