The final is sluggish, Mannon: De Bruyne may be unwilling to accept it, but it is right for Manchester City to let him go

May 18th, Manchester City lost to Crystal Palace 0-1 and missed the championship. The Manchester Evening News wrote an article about De Bruyne's performance.

Mann wrote ↓

Wimbley Stadium clock pointed to the 99th minute, De Bruyne held the ball about 25 yards from the goal. Over the past decade, he has created countless murderous intents from similar positions that make his opponents frightened.

But this time the magic power failed to appear, or perhaps the magic power has really dissipated. He tried to pass the ball over the Crystal Palace defense line and used too much force, and finally rolled out of the sideline harmlessly. With this action, the FA Cup trophy fell into the hands of Crystal Palace.

This is obviously not the beginning of the last week of Manchester City's career that De Bruyne imagined. Perhaps he can also say goodbye to Etihad in Tuesday's match against Bournemouth, or create highlights in his final appearance against Fulham next week, both of which are related to the points rankings.

But this afternoon of the FA Cup seemed to be the perfect opportunity for De Bruyne to prove himself. He was unwilling to leave Manchester City, but he felt that he had the strength to be pushed to the exit. Many European suitors still believe his talent deserves to continue to blossom in the top league rather than heading to Saudi Arabia or the United States.

However, it must be admitted that this is no longer the peak of De Bruyne. The injury eroded his body, and although his consciousness was still there, his body was no longer able to sustain. He failed to convert this game into a personal performance stage. Although he occasionally showed his inspiration, he often missed the accuracy of the pass: insufficient pass, lack of crossing accuracy, and weak shooting.

De Bruyne made his first career debut in Manchester City against Norwich in the third round of the FA Cup in 2016 and scored goals. Since then, he has scored another 9 goals and contributed 18 assists in the FA Cup, winning the trophy three times. But the fourth trophy and the final farewell were finally lost.

Just five minutes into the opening game, De Bruyne's sideways pass to Akanji was insufficient, resulting in the right back being forced to foul Eze, which killed Manchester City's early offensive. A moment later, the straight pass to Savigno lacked a key speed.

The past style still flashed: a cross from the back point in the deep position created a good opportunity for Haaland. But more often, his position is too delayed and it is difficult to pose a substantial threat.

When the ball fell 10 yards from the goal in the first half, he might have thought that the script of fate had been written, but this difficult opportunity eventually turned into a sky-storm cannon. The first half attempt to cross was blocked by the first defensive player.

' pass form continues to be sluggish, and Manchester City is unable to continue the pressure put on Crystal Palace goal in the opening stage.

De Bruyne kicked the ball off the edge of the penalty area twice in a short period of time, but his left foot shot was soft and blocked, and his right foot shot hit Walton in the head to refract the clearance.

Perhaps De Bruyne's highest moment was a wonderful story for O'Reilly, but unfortunately O'Reilly missed the opportunity after adjusting for too long. This failed to turn the fortune around, and a few minutes later, De Bruyne stumbled and lost the ball while trying to push deeper.

The last strike in the 90th minute missed the post, and the overly powerful cross before the end of the game, put an end to the farewell battle. De Bruyne may be unwilling to accept it, but it is difficult to question the correctness of Manchester City's decision. Thank you for the wonderful memories, Kevin, but the farewell is right at the right time.