One of the games of week two in the Premier League has to be the clash between Man City and Newcastle, the reigning English top-flight champions against one of the most improved sides over the past 18 months or so.
Pep Guardiola’s side swept aside Burnley in their opening match of the 2023/24 season, but it wasn’t without its problems for the coach.
Talisman, Kevin De Bruyne, who had to come off early in the Champions League with a hamstring injury, saw a recurrence of the same at Turf Moor.
Though one man doesn’t make a team, it’s safe to say that the Belgian is the conduit through which everything flows, and his absence is likely to hit City hard.
Certainly, Guardiola himself has suggested that he might’ve made a mistake.
“It’s the hamstring again. Same position. I don’t know how long he will be out it depends on the magnitude of the injury but it will be a few weeks out,” he said after the game (h/t The Mag).
“Of course, he’s down because he fought a lot. He felt really good and I spoke with him. He wanted to start. To play for 45 minutes was the idea.
“Maybe it was a mistake. But when someone is injured after 15-20 minutes, it’s not about that, it’s about something wrong.
“If it happened after 60-65 minutes it could be fatigue of the muscle. We have to talk with the doctor and with him. He has to free his mind and he’ll be back for sure.”
It perhaps brings the need for City to acquire Lucas Paqueta into sharper focus, and given that De Bruyne is likely to be out for some while, that particular deal should accelerate quickly over the next week or so.
The way that Newcastle started their match on Saturday evening against Aston Villa suggests that their week two matchup could be one of the games of the season.
newcastle will win at man city