Kevin De Bruyne has pointed to Manchester City’s relentless desire for success following our 3-1 Premier League triumph against Brighton.
The Belgian completed the scoring at the Etihad Stadium as Pep Guardiola’s men returned to winning ways following our first defeat of the season against Liverpool.
Victory moved City to within one point of league leaders Arsenal, as we look to retain the title for a third successive campaign.
Should we achieve that ambition, De Bruyne believes our unwavering winning mentality will have played a vital role.
“This team is set up to go again and again. I think we have shown that over the last seven or eight years,” he explained.
“Even if we didn’t win it, we were second or third. We are always fighting to go again, and it is a squad with great humility.
“Even if we won last year, we don’t take it for granted and we want to go again.
“It is a nice feeling to win, and we try to achieve that every year. The hard work comes first, and the enjoyment maybe comes later.”
Saturday’s victory also saw Erling Haaland continue his phenomenal scoring record so far this season.
The Norwegian’s brace against the Seagulls means he has now found the net 17 times in 11 Premier League matches.
He is just six goals shy of last season’s Golden Boot tally, and became the first player since Sergio Aguero in February 2018 to score in seven successive home matches in all competitions.
But while De Bruyne agreed that the forward has offered a new dimension to our array of attacking talent, the Belgian described the change as more of an adaptation than a major upheaval.
He said: “I don’t think it is really different, I think it is just different players. We have played with a false nine, but we have also played with Gabriel Jesus up front or with Raheem [Sterling].
“It is maybe not the same as Erling, but if you see Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal, he is a real number nine.
“It depends on the games and now we play with a real out-and-out striker. He makes different movements, so I think you have to adapt a little bit to the way he wants to play also, but I think it is going quite well.
“Everybody knows what [Erling] brings. He brings goals, he brings presence and that is maybe important in the tight games.”
