Looking at Reijnders, Indonesians can only sigh.

Reijnders plays impressively for Man City

After a 4-0 demolition of Wolves in the opening round of the Premier League, Man City's 2025/26 season now only awaits the return of Rodri to complete it, forming a pivot with Reijnders, evoking the nuances of the Xavi - Iniesta symphony in midfield.

Idolize De Bruyne but imitate Iniesta

Even before he became a Man City player, Reijnders was Guardiola’s ideal pupil. Light on his feet, quick on the pace, adept at spotting the gaps his opponents missed, he spent hours in the supermarket – while working the night shift – watching De Bruyne make the perfect pass. The next day, at the Twente youth academy, Reijnders tried to replicate De Bruyne on the pitch.

However, on his Premier League debut for Man City, Reijnders showed off a move that has become synonymous with Iniesta: la croqueta – the delicate technique of swinging the ball from one foot to the other, both past and through a double defence. It came in the first half when the club were stuck.

Reijnders was just pacing 25 metres from the Wolves penalty area. Two defenders rushed in, one blocking in front of him, three others covering Haaland and Rico Lewis. But he calmly played a croqueta, then cleverly chipped the ball to Lewis, who then set up Haaland.

That is just one piece of the Man City attacking puzzle. Last season, when Rodri was injured, "The Cityzens" were paralyzed, becoming passive and fragile in the face of fierce pressing. Now, although Rodri will be absent until September, Guardiola has a new plan: actively tearing apart the opponent's defense with speed and creativity.

This victory also revealed another unique feature of Guardiola's coaching journey. He does not like to create identical copies. Instead of looking for a second De Bruyne, Pep chose to rebuild ideas, even break down to rebuild.

Perfect in Man City machine

Man City’s system was set up to crush Wolves. Reijnders played on the right of the midfield trio, but often drifted into the middle, providing both creativity and defence, sometimes forming a pivot with Nico González when Bernardo Silva pushed forward. Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan provided the stability, reinforcing the structure in transition.

Thanks to that, Man City both circulated the ball smoothly and kept the rhythm for the front line. The two full-backs Ait-Nouri and Lewis rushed forward at speed, Jeremy Doku became a whirlwind, Haaland showed sharpness and harmony with his compatriot Oscar Bobb.

Bobb was a surprise choice, replacing Savinho - last season's top assist provider. But he played like a dancer, dribbling and turning, making the Wolves defence dizzy.

It was Bobb who started the second goal: picking up the ball in midfield, sprinting, stretching the defence and passing to Reijnders, who fired a low shot into the far corner. The former AC Milan star didn't stop there, playing a one-two with Bobb before crossing for Haaland to score twice.

Reijnders has integrated very well into the Man City squad.

The directness, speed and precision made Man City more fearsome than ever. And they still had plenty of players on the bench. Pep sent on Marmoush and Cherki, with Cherki making his mark with a backheel and combining for the fourth goal. Phil Foden, Savinho and Gvardiol were even sitting in the stands.

Pep admitted: “I like a deep squad to compete in all competitions, but I also don't want to leave anyone at home. It's not good for the general atmosphere.”

Looking ahead, Man City can completely recreate the sublimation of the 2018/19 season. The return of Rodri will bring balance, while the Rodri - Reijnders axis promises to create a harmony reminiscent of the Xavi - Iniesta era. More happily, Haaland has returned to his full form, moving flexibly and bravely like never before.

Pep Guardiola, of course, kept his cool: “One win is not enough to say we’re back. Next week against Tottenham is the real test.” But he will be pleased that his club started the season by crushing Wolves.

Dutch fans must be happy that Guardiola is developing Reijnders into the new Iniesta. But Indonesian fans are very sorry to see the player with the blood of thousands of islands shine. Reijnders chose to play for the Netherlands and did not have the opportunity to serve under Patrick Kluivert.

Source: https://znews.vn/nhin-reijnders-nguoi-indonesia-chi-biet-ngam-ngui-post1577931.html