Manchester City's pursuit of a top four finish in the Premier League was dealt a blow after they were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool at The Etihad on Sunday.The Cityzens are now level on points with Newcastle United, who are fifth, and only one point ahead of Bournemouth and Chelsea in sixth and seventh respectively.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai secured all three points for the away side on an evening to forget for Pep Guardiola and his men, who failed to match Arne Slot's team's quality.
Dominik Szoboszlai slots it home 🔥 pic.twitter.com/scGst1IueG— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2025
City swooped to sign Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt in the January transfer window, but the exciting addition could not make the difference against the Reds on Sunday.Omar Marmoush's performance against LiverpoolThe Egypt international lined up just behind Phil Foden as a second striker and had mixed success, with some moments of quality and other moments to forget.Marmoush tried to get at the Liverpool defence and did manage to complete two of his three attempted dribbles, whilst he also got four shots off during the match.However, only two of those shots troubled Alisson and the Brazil international kept hold of both efforts, as the attacker's shots did not have enough quality on them to seriously trouble the goalkeeper.Marmoush, who completed 89% of his attempted passes, did not create any 'big chances' for his teammates, though, and lost five of his nine duels, as he struggled with the physicality of the game at times.These statistics show that the former Bundesliga star, who recently scored a hat-trick against Newcastle, caused some problems for the Reds, but ultimately did not do enough to earn a positive result for his side.The 26-year-old dynamo had showcased his quality in front of goal, as shown in the highlights above, against the Magpies, but he could not replicate that with any of his four shots this time around.Whilst it was not a brilliant display by Marmoush against Liverpool, attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was even worse than the January recruit with his showing at The Etihad.Kevin De Bruyne's performance against LiverpoolThe Belgian star had racked up four goals and nine assists in 19 career games against Liverpool in all competitions prior to the clash at The Etihad on Sunday.De Bruyne was once a player who could step up to win City matches against the best teams, as evidenced by his excellent record against the Reds, but his performance this time around illustrated his decline on the pitch.In 66 minutes on the pitch, the former Chelsea talent did not create a single 'big chance' for his teammates or register an effort on goal to test Alisson. In fact, his shot at the end of the first half was closer to the top tier of the stands than it was to the Liverpool goal.
Minutes played 66 Pass accuracy 79% Possession lost 11x Big chances created 0 Shots on target 0 Duels won 2/4
As you can see in the table above, de Bruyne was even worse than Marmoush against Liverpool, as he had fewer shots on target, completed a lower percentage of his passes, and won half as many duels – showing that he offered less than the Egyptian on and off the ball.The Express handed him a player rating of just 5/10 and wrote that he 'struggled' to deal with the intensity of the game, which is backed up by his dismal statistics.Man City supporters have become accustomed to seeing the Belgian magician consistently delivering quality performances, goals, and assists, but he has been far from his best of late, with one goal – against Leyton Orient – and zero assists in his last seven matches.imagelargeChalkboardFootball FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game. His contract at The Etihad comes to an end in the summer, just shy of ten years at the club, and Guardiola must permanently move on from the midfielder by not attempting to pin him down to a contract extension.Why Manchester City should let De Bruyne goThe Spanish head coach should ruthlessly ditch the Belgium international and allow him to leave on a free transfer, because his form has declined over the past 18 months or so and he is one of the highest earners at the club.Per Capology, de Bruyne earns £400k-per-week, ranking him second and only behind Erling Haaland (£525k-per-week) at City, and they have not got value for money on that this season.De Bruyne has racked up 173 assists in his Manchester City career in all competitions, with some of his best included in the clips above, but he appears to be past his creative peak.He has created 11 'big chances' in 18 Premier League appearances this season, which is a far cry from the 21 'big chances' he provided his teammates with in the same number of games in the division last term.
Erling Haaland £525k 22 Kevin de Bruyne £400k 8 Mohamed Salah £350k 41 Bruno Fernandes £300k 12 Jack Grealish £300k 1
As you can see in the table above, only Jack Grealish – another City forward – has produced less than de Bruyne in the final third among the top-earning attackers in the top-flight this season.This suggests that the Cityzens are not getting bang for their buck with the Belgian hero, who appears to be past his best and turns 34 in June, as players earning a similar amount of money to him have provided their teams with far more quality – in goals and assists – in the Premier League.Now could be the perfect time for City to part ways with the club legend, upon the expiry of his contract in the summer, and his departure could provide another player with a chance to step up and become a new icon for the supporters moving forward, whether that is Marmoush, Phil Foden, Savinho, or potentially a new signing.It will then be down to the recruitment team and Guardiola to unearth the next de Bruyne, whether that is a new signing or an emerging talent from the academy, to bolster the midfield in the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.
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