Tijjani Reijnders: 'Weapon' to elevate Man City's midfield

The value that rookie Tijjani Reijnders brought to Man City's resounding victory over Wolverhampton on the evening of August 16 was truly valuable.

Tijjani Reijnders celebrates after making it 2-0 - Photo: REUTERS

Last summer, to solve the problem of the lack of creativity and innovation in the midfield, Man City spent 55 million euros to bring in Tijjani Reijnders, an Indonesian star from AC Milan.

Indeed, things have changed completely since Tijjani Reijnders joined the team. In the opening match of the Premier League, this midfielder of Indonesian origin proved why Pep Guardiola wanted him and was willing to pay a lot of money to have him.

If the impressive performance at the FIFA Club World Cup was just an introduction, then the match against Wolverhampton was a strong affirmation of Reijnders. In the very first match of the 2025-2026 Premier League season, Reijnders won the Man of the Match award with 1 goal and 1 assist in Man City's 4-0 win over Wolverhampton.

Specifically, in the 90 minutes on the field, the player wearing the number 4 shirt showed his ability to cover the field along with his excellent tactical vision. He moved all over the field, was always present at hot spots and showed sharp vision, being likened to "almost like Kevin De Bruyne".

Not only that, Reijnders' dribbling and finishing skills surprised everyone. In the first goal, he confidently pulled the ball, passed 2 players before sending a pass that tore through the Wolves' defense so that Lewis could easily cross for Haaland to tap into the empty net, opening the score of the match.

With that classy pass, he reminded Man City fans of Kevin De Bruyne, a legendary "passer" at Etihad.

Reijnders' (blue shirt) left-footed shot completely defeated goalkeeper Jose Sa - Photo: REUTERS

The Dutchman’s own goal showed another surprising aspect of Reijnders – his ability to finish cleanly and efficiently. He handled the ball with just one touch, unleashing a decisive left-footed shot that beat goalkeeper Jose Sa and made it 2-0. Notably, the tricky shot came from his weaker foot.

With what he has shown, Reijnders is not just a rookie, but the perfect piece that Pep Guardiola has been looking for a long time to replace the icon Kevin De Bruyne.

If Reijnders continues to maintain his form and class, Man City will become more fearsome than ever in the 2025-2026 season.

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TUAN LONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tijjani-reijnders-vu-khi-nang-tam-hang-tien-ve-man-city-2025081716110229.htm