Kevin De Bruyne benched again but insists he feels no pressure
ON THE SPOT: Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his side's goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Pic: PA
We need to talk about Kevin, especially with such a big game coming up on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola, having advised him to go back to basics and work hard following a lacklustre performance against Newcastle, afforded Kevin De Bruyne just 11 minutes of action against Palace, and those came directly after Erling Haaland's penalty winner.
City now shift their focus to the Champions League and the conclusion of a last-16 tie with RB Leipzig that is delicately poised at 1-1. Guardiola has a history of eccentric team selections in big matches so it is hardly unthinkable that De Bruyne might begin on the bench again.
The Belgian - the only survivor from the pre-Pep era - is 31 and joked that he is "an old man in this game". But on the subject of whether his magic powers really are finally waning he was deadly serious.
"Obviously people have a different standard for me to a lot of players," he said. "People expect me to score every game and assist every game.
"I think I've been playing quite well. Maybe there have been fewer assists but I don't think I've been creating less. I think I'm playing all right - maybe not the best I've every played but it's good.
"You know the stats - I've created the most in the league and have the most assists and I've not even played four or five games. For me, it is the same. I've been doing the same thing for eight years here and 15 years in professional football so I'm feeling fine.
"Whenever I go on the pitch I try to do what I do always. I don't feel that I necessarily have to do something different. I'm an old man in this game, I know how it is. Obviously you want to play as much as possible but if you don't play you do the best for 10 minutes and that's what I did and get the win for the team.
"You know what people are going to say outside but there's no pressure. I play football because I like it, not because I have to, so it's good.
"There are billions of people watching football and everybody has a different opinion. Sometimes as a player you're going to have a different opinion to the coach and this is OK, you should be able to have them or it would be boring."
Having Haaland around is certainly not boring, especially as the Norwegian skied a seemingly simple chance in the first half before keeping his nerve from the spot after Michael Olise had tripped Ilkay Gundogan.
You could hardly say that Haaland had a great game and it is easy to see why some have concluded that City were actually a more coherent side last season when they won the title without a striker at all. But he is undoubtedly a big moments kind of guy - which City have been lacking in Europe.
"It was a big pressure moment and I think everyone could feel it as a team," admitted John Stones, who replaced Kyle Walker at right-back but, like Walker usually does, spent most of the game in midfield.
"Getting three points was definitely important and for him to slot such a good penalty away shows his quality and what he brings to us as a team. In big moments you need big players to step up and he did that.
"He is 100% a team player who wants to win first and foremost."
The advantage is still very much Arsenal's and the leaders are in league action this weekend when City are on FA Cup duty. City have the superior pedigree of course but Guardiola insisted their track record counted for little.
“If experience works, the team who wins the previous season will win it every single season. Look at Liverpool, who lost against Bournemouth - a few months ago, 9-0. What you have done in the past is in the past."
It's Palace's present that is worrying their manager. Patrick Vieira, once briefly of City, has seen his side fail to win in any competition in 2023 and this was a third straight outing without even a shot on target, leaving the Eagles just four points off the drop zone.
Wilfried Zaha went close in the first half and substitute Eberechi Eze saw a shot deflected wide in the second but that was about it.
"We have to play better in possession to create these chances," said Vieira. “I have to find a better combination of players, it is my responsibility."
Guaita 7; Clyne 7 (Ward 71, 4), Andersen 7, Guehi 7, Mitchell 7; Lokonga 7, Milivojevic 6 (Ahamada 61, 6); Olise 6, Ayew 7 (Edouard 80, 3), Schlupp 7 (Eze 80, 3); Zaha 7.
Whitworth, Tomkins, Mateta, Richards, Riedewald.
Ederson 6; Stones 7 (Walker 89, 2), Akanji 7, Dias 7, Ake 7; Rodri 7, Gundogan 7; Foden 6 (Alvarez 58, 6), Silva 6 (De Bruyne 79, 4), Grealish 7; Haaland 7.
Ortega, Phillips, Laporte, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis.
Robert Jones 6.
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