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After the fracture of the skull and orbit, there was damage to the ankle ligament. Kevin De Bruyne spent the summer getting injured, coming back from injury and breaking through the pain barrier.
His Premier League campaign began at the end of his Euro 2020, with De Bruyne in doubt about his physical form. He made a faster-than-expected recovery – another recurring theme – to play the final 12 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Tottenham. But he missed training on Friday, leaving Pep Guardiola unsure whether his talisman will face Norwich on Saturday. The Etihad Stadium will be packed for the first time since a De Bruyne masterclass against West Ham in February 2020, but it could be a spectator as its stop-start year continues. It becomes a constant concern.
After facial injuries sustained in a bloody collision with Antonio Rüdiger in the Champions League final, De Bruyne was forced to limp out in Belgium’s victory over Portugal. He nevertheless started the quarter-final against Italy five days later, but played with torn ligaments. Problems remain. “Kevin has a little problem with his ankle,” Guardiola said.
Last season was also interrupted by injuries. Guardiola called him to the bench in an attempt to avoid defeat to Spurs but may have to deal with the games De Bruyne is playing. “He has to be in good shape, he has to be good,” said the City manager. “At certain ages of players, they still have worrying pain. You play free, free, free, and then there are tough times in your career. Belgium’s triple World Cup qualifying title looms in September and Guardiola said: “I would like all the players, when they are in good shape, to join the national team. Otherwise, they will stay here if they are not in good shape or if they are injured.
The demands are highest on the best and the reigning PFA Player of the Year was nominated for the UEFA Male Player of the Year award this week. If De Bruyne’s body gives way, it might not come as a surprise: he played 68 club and national games in 2017-18. At 30, he made 576 senior appearances.
He is also not the only one who is overworked. By the end of Euro 2020, Raheem Sterling has played 75 games and Rúben Dias 77 in 13 months, albeit in part due to an artificially crowded schedule. Still, rather than bemoaning the schedule, Guardiola told his men they didn’t have a day to spare in their playing days.
“The seasons connect with each other,” he said. “It’s nonstop. The careers of the players are short: 10 or 12 or 15 years. This is the reality, unfortunately. I can be a manager until I am 80 years old. They cannot be players before the age of 80. Guys who are 26 or 27 still have five or six years to play football.
“My advice is to make the best use of each day to extend your career because after that you can take a break if you want for one, two or three years.” Guardiola, at least, looked refreshed after a summer of rest. “The backroom staff have a five or six week break so we can’t complain,” he added.
He gave his England and Brazil internationals a month off after their summer efforts. A weakened city duly started with back-to-back defeats in the Community Shield and the Premier League. Their game required fine-tuning. Guardiola listed the areas for improvement that he saw in Spurs: “Relations, distances between the lines, our precision in not losing single balls, physical condition, being aggressive in the last third”, a- he stressed. “We need to better defend transitions and set pieces. There are a thousand things.
One incorporates Jack Grealish, who could serve as chief designer in De Bruyne’s absence. They’ve formed a joint fan club, but the £ 100million man’s career at City has started with successive setbacks. “The team is going to help Jack be who he is and he is going to help us be the team we want to be,” Guardiola promised. This side will not include Robert Lewandowski, despite speculation. “He will stay at Bayern Munich,” said the former Bayern manager.
He is starting a sixth campaign at City but being able to manage at 80 does not mean that he will be found in a dugout in the 2050s. “Absolutely not, I have to reduce my handicap,” said a golf enthusiast with a friend popular. “I have Tommy Fleetwood as a good teacher, so I have some exercises. We play once a year. Her schedule is busier than mine.
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