Aveek Chaudhuri, January 22, 2021

After Manchester City's 2-0 win over Aston Villa, City manager Pep Guardiola confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne suffered a hamstring injury which will see him miss 4 to 6 weeks of action. The win over Villa saw City move up to second place with 38 points, 2 behind league leaders Manchester United. However, City still have a game in hand and will be looking to continue their hot form without De Bruyne's presence in the midfield. The midfielder has racked up 10 assists this season, second in the league behind Harry Kane. So, City will be looking to others for creative play for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Since City's 2-0 loss to Tottenham on November 21, they have gone 10 games unbeaten in the league, winning 8 and drawing 2. This recent form has seen City pick up 26 points from a possible 30 and move to second in the league, above Liverpool. Kevin De Bruyne has been vital to this recent pick up in form as well as the consistency of City's defense. City bolstered their defence over the summer with the addition of Ruben Dias from Benfica for £62m who has formed a strong partnership with Englishman John Stones while star defender Aymeric Laporte continues to be out with a right knee injury.

However, the loss of Kevin De Bruyne for some time will definitely be a hit to City's current title challenge. It cannot be denied the influence and impact De Bruyne has on the field with his creativity and skillset. However, the team knows they have to continue their title challenge without him for now. City look in good shape as of right now with the hot forms of Bernardo Silva and İlkay Gündoğan. Silva has been rotating in and out of the squad throughout the weeks, playing well and most recently scoring the first goal in the win over the solid Aston Villa. İlkay Gündoğan has also been producing well from the midfield with 5 goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season. In addition, Rodri Hernández has had a good run of form, contributing well in both defence and attack. Thus, City may lack some creativity for some time but the attacking power, nevertheless, remains strong and lethal.