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De Bruyne missed a lot of games and entered gradually, but Guardiola does not like when the team's performance can depend on one player, so he tried to do everything possible to ensure that his absence was not so noticeable, although it definitely affected the game in the center. Regarding Haaland's absence, I can say that Foden was able to become a very good replacement for him during his absence, and overall had a very good season. Probably De Bruyne's absence was more noticeable for City and I agree that City can have an even better season, they have already done that.
No matter how they tried to hide it, guadiola still felt the absence of probably one of the best midfielders there is currently now and that's why Manchester city had some slow success around their gameplay in the midfield in the time of his absence and that's why I say if there is anything that help arsenal in actually becoming champions once more, it would probably be the injury effect.
The presence of De Bruyne in Manchester City midfield makes everything easier, without this Belgian player, Manchester City performance is not optimal. Pep Guardiola himself quite often praises De Bruyne performance, and admits that his influence in Manchester City midfield, his role is difficult for other players to replace. It is true, Pep Guardiola is trying to build a collective squad, with even quality players, but this cannot deny the contribution made by De Bruyne so far. Apart from that, Rodri also played an important role last season. In my opinion, Manchester City balance and consistency are supported by these two players, so that Halaand and Foden can appear sharp on the front lines. Arsenal certainly always hopes that Pep Guardiola squad experiences setbacks, thereby giving them the opportunity to win trophies.