With De Bruyne back, Man City have title rivals shaking

Aside from Pep Guardiola firing the ball with a deft touch that gave a brief glimpse into his illustrious past as Barcelona's silky midfielder, the biggest cheers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday were reserved for Kevin De Bruyne. This happened first when he started to warm up, then again when he took off his tracksuit, and finally when he strode out to make his first appearance in a Manchester City shirt in 150 days.

Rúben Dias immediately ran to pass him the captain's armband, while City's social media accounts posted video of the moment with the caption “The return of the king”.

Even at City, a team full of treble superstars, De Bruyne is on a different level.

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City's FA Cup third round opponent, Huddersfield Town, had already been beaten when he came on early in the second half, but less than 17 minutes after the 32-year-old had entered the field, the score of 2-0 had become 5-0.

The highlight was one of his signature runs from midfield, collecting the ball in the central circle, exchanging passes with Oscar Bobb on the edge of the penalty area, followed by the inevitable assist. Good players would have sent their cross to Matheus Nunes at the back post, but De Bruyne is better than that – in fact, he was perhaps the only person in the stadium to spot Jérémy Doku hanging back as the Huddersfield defense sprinted towards their goal line.

As is often the case with De Bruyne, the execution matched the vision and Doku was presented with a relatively simple opportunity to score. He did so, and Erling Haaland, who was watching from the bench, was goaded into getting up from his seat and violently shaking the City staffer, unfortunate enough to be sitting directly across from him.

Haaland is close to returning from injury, and his reaction reads like that of a striker imagining he will soon benefit from the Belgium international's brilliance.

De Bruyne's return is good news for Haaland, Guardiola and City, but probably bad news for everyone. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was only half-joking when he said it had “shaken the whole country”. This certainly feels like a seismic moment in the title race.

De Bruyne expects to be back on the bench when City travel to Newcastle United for Saturday's Premier League match, but Guardiola will not be able to hold him off for much longer.

Speaking after the win over Huddersfield, Guardiola described his captain as a player with that rare ability to win games on his own. Even on a team as talented as this one, his absence has left a void that no one else can fill.

The fact that no player in Europe's top five leagues has made so many assists since the start of last season speaks volumes about De Bruyne's relentless creativity, even if his involvement in the current campaign only totals 82 minutes . Two more in the Premier League and he will be alone third on the competition list behind Ryan Giggs and Cesc Fabregas.

As a reminder, Giggs has recorded 162 Premier League assists in 632 matches for Manchester United, and Fabregas has 111 in 350 matches for Arsenal and Chelsea. De Bruyne is 102nd (tied with Frank Lampard and one behind Wayne Rooney), but he's done so in just 240 appearances, or one every 2.4 games.

Guardiola spoke about De Bruyne's ability to solve some of the “problems” City had in the first half of the season, namely finding “runners” like Haaland, Nunes, Doku and Phil Foden. Once fully fit, De Bruyne will occupy his usual place in the right channel and Guardiola has raised the possibility of partnering him with Foden, who has often played out wide but has moved around the pitch during the absence by De Bruyne.

“They are different players, but it is true that in the last third, in the decisive moments, both are incredible,” Guardiola said. “Phil has been playing incredibly well lately in this position, in threats, and he feels comfortable.

“In some games, of course, we can play both together in this position, in the pocket, in the middle, near the box. In some other games, for stability, maybe not. So we have to see the day the day. “

Arsenal begin the second half of the season on a three-game losing streak, while Liverpool face the loss of Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations and Trent Alexander-Arnold to a torn leg. knee ligaments.

City, meanwhile, has won five in a row and welcomed its most effective playmaker on Sunday. Haaland could be back in the squad at St. James' Park this weekend.

After being delighted with De Bruyne's appearance against Huddersfield, Guardiola was asked for his thoughts ahead of the business end of the campaign, with the City manager only sharing that – once again – his team “are there”. It was a simple, noncommittal answer, but one he delivered with a slight smile that suggested he sensed the momentum might be about to shift in his favor.

De Bruyne is back and the Premier League is shaking.