The performance of Savinho against Club Brugge showed that City have a potential star on their hands | OneFootball

At halftime of last night’s 3-1 win over Club Brugge, Manchester City were on the precipice of embarrassment. They went into the interval 1-nil down and their 24/25 Champions League campaign was in serious danger of ending at the first hurdle. Pep Guardiola’s side was in desperate need of a game-changer. Savinho was introduced at halftime of last night’s match at the Etihad. He came on and changed the course of last night’s match. In the process, he also showed that Manchester City have a potential star on their hands.

So often in football, it’s moments that make players. When a player performs when the stakes are at the highest that shows exactly what they’re made of. Savinho did exactly this last night at the Etihad. The Brazilian international came on for halftime for Ilkay Gundogan against Club Brugge. From the moment he hit the pitch the young winger put Club Brugge on the back foot. He wasted no time in immediately making his impact on a pivotal game for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side was an infinitely more dangerous proposition the moment Savinho entered proceedings. For a player so young, that speaks volumes about what he is capable of now and what he could become in the future for Manchester City.

You can pose the question as to why Savinho didn’t start last night’s match. That is irrelevant now. You can only speak about what occurred during the match. Manchester City were too pedestrian and appeared slow and old in the first half of last night’s match. But Savinho’s introduction immediately changed that. He brought a youthful energy and his obvious talent to the equation. Savinho tormented the Club Brugge defence and changed the dynamic of City’s play. Savinho’s introduction saw Phil Foden play in his natural position and created a host of other tactical shifts that catered to Pep Guardiola’s side. But back to the point at hand, Savinho showed last night that Manchester City do have a potential star on their hands.

Stars change games. It’s as simple as that. Savinho did exactly that when Manchester City needed it the most last night. Yes, there will be a higher quality of opponents for the young Brazilian to face in the future. But he performed when the stakes were at their highest for his team. That shows that he is capable of becoming a star for Pep Guardiola’s side. He has shown flashes of brilliance this season and more this season.

Speaking after his team’s crucial win over Club Brugge Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Savinho’s performance. He believed that the Brazilian international added what his team lacked last night: “The first half was so dynamic but we missed the spark. Savinho help us like all the season when he play there. He was unbelievable. He changed the game and, after five or ten minutes, had won two or three corners. Our crowd reacted and we had the chances.”

Manchester City may have a star on their hands in Savinho. Only the very best perform when the stakes are at their very highest. Savinho showed last night he can do exactly that and the fact that he did highlights the fact that he could reach the very top of the game.