Mateo Kovacic has said that Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne tend to come up clutch when all eyes are on them to step up.
On the official Manchester City podcast, Kovacic was quizzed about his experience of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
While lauding the Portuguese legend, he also reserved special praise for Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
Mateo Kovacic says Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are clutch players
The pair have made it a habit of stepping up big-time for Manchester City, especially De Bruyne, who has been doing so for the club since his arrival in 2015.
As for Haaland, he was the protagonist of City’s treble-winning season, having scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions last campaign.
Mateo Kovacic praised Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for their decisiveness at the biggest of stages.
“These players [Cristiano Ronaldo] in these decisive moments, they are there, you know? We are all very good players at this level but they are players like [Erling] Haaland, [Kevin] De Bruyne, just in these moments where you need them, they are there”, he said on the official Manchester City podcast.
“I think this makes the difference between top players and these kind of players.”
The dynamic duo could help Manchester City win the Champions League again
Mateo Kovacic could have the chance of being a part of yet another side to repeat their Champions League triumph in Manchester City this season, especially if Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne deliver.
In the 2022/2023 campaign, the pair were devastating, especially in the knockout rounds in Europe’s elite competition.
Considering City look like the best team in the tournament once again, if the pair simply do what they do best in tandem, it seems like there would be no stopping Pep Guardiola’s men from reigning supreme over Europe again.
In a competition where superstars consistently tend to settle one-off fixtures, the Sky Blues have arguably two of the biggest difference-makers in world football at their disposal.
