Man City’s De Bruyne Wins Premier League Player Of The Season

Manchester City’s Kelvin De Bruyne. Photo: Twitter@Premier League

 

 

Manchester City midfielder, Kelvin De Bruyne has won the 2019/2020 Premier League Player of the Season.

De Bryne saw off competition from Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, Sadio Mane and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Nick Pope of Burnley, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and Danny Ings of Southampton to win the prize.

The Belgian was the only player from Manchester City to be shortlisted for the award.

Although City relinquished the domestic league to Liverpool, De Bryne had an outstanding season.

He scored 13 goals and bagged 20 assists – matching the record set by Thierry Henry in 2003 – as Pep Guardiola’s side ended as the Premier League highest scorers for the third season running.

The midfielder was on the pitch when City lost 1-3 to Lyon in the quarter-final of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday, a defeat Guardiola has blamed on the team.

City crashed out in the quarter-finals for the third straight season with a shock 3-1 defeat to Lyon in Lisbon.

A familiar cocktail of defensive errors missed chances and VAR controversy did for Guardiola’s side with the Catalan coach also under fire for another surprise team selection in the knockout stages.

‘Breaking The Gap’

Guardiola is yet to get beyond the last eight in his four years in charge of City as the English side’s wait to be crowned champions of Europe continues despite the billions invested by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.

 

In this file photo taken on April 17, 2019 Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola reacts during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg football match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north-west England.
Anthony Devlin / AFP

 

“One day we’ll break this gap to the quarter-finals,” said Guardiola.

“You have to be perfect in these competitions in one game and we weren’t.”

City looked disjointed as Guardiola started with an unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation and trailed at half-time to Maxwel Cornet’s strike.

Their pressure in the second half finally told when Kevin De Bruyne levelled 21 minutes from time.

However, Moussa Dembele’s strike to restore the French side’s lead was allowed to stand despite a VAR check for a trip on Aymeric Laporte.

Raheem Sterling then incredibly fired over with the goal gaping to bring City back on level terms and less than 60 seconds later an error from goalkeeper Ederson allowed Dembele to tap home and seal Lyon a semi-final meeting with Guardiola’s old club Bayern Munich.

 

Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling (L) misses a goal opportunity during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Lyon at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon on August 15, 2020. FRANCK FIFE / POOL / AFP

 

“This competition is that situation,” Guardiola added of Sterling’s miss.

“You have to equalise and go to extra-time and after we concede the third goal. We create more chances, so we did everything but unfortunately, we are out again.”