So was Sterling.Cmon there has been a significant improvement in both players once they started playing for Pep. Maybe the system flatters them because they both seem like different players for their national teams.
Kevin De Bruyne
- Thread starter Robbie Boy
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So was Sterling.Cmon there has been a significant improvement in both players once they started playing for Pep. Maybe the system flatters them because they both seem like different players for their national teams.
KdB was doing all that before Pep too, for some weird reason Pep gets too much credit for KdB's performance. Sterling was good player too but he had average season and he has his best season in terms of goals, so you can say system helped as they create lot of chances and lot of movement but KdB was superb even before City signed him. IIRC he holds the record for most assists in Bundesliga.
De Bruyne wasn't rested at all last season. 51 games, 15th most minutes in the league. Was rested for 4 games and come on as a sub in 3 (all cup games). You can also imagine that Belgium aren't as motivated as a team as City were so naturally you can expect a dip in form.
Hmm
Player does better under good manager than bad one shock!
He was playing ridiculously deep alongside the hopeless Witsel. He looked great on the few occasions he was able to get further forward.
He’s a whiny prick though.
This stat is nuts;
- It took 49 minutes and 10 seconds for Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to make his first successful pass in the match. His second pass (68:11) assisted a goal for Lukaku.
100% not true. Maybe successful pass inside the box or something but not the pass in general.
He was fantastic for us during our qualifying campaign for World Cup 2014, long before he was managed by Pep. By far our best player back then. He's been performing worse and worse ever since, for some weird reason. While his club level only went up, his level for our NT only went down. He hasn't played consistently well for us in years. There's rarely any urgency in his play, he messes up the simplest of passes under no pressure and his set-pieces are routinely woeful. It's like a completely different player.
I think the stat is talking about KdB making a pass to Lukaku,
Can he not handle the pressure?
I honestly don't know what his problem is. He plays more like defensive midfielder for us, which obviously isn't his best position, but is that really a reason to start messing up the simple things? He keeps maintaining he's happy to play there and he's satisfied with his own performances but at the same time he often looks frustrated out there (just look at that mental tackle yesterday). He also criticized the tactics as recently as 6 months ago, so he's not consistent in what he's saying. Whatever his issue is, we need the real De Bruyne, not this cheap knock-off we've been getting in recent years.
Well he should not be playing in a deep lying playmaker role. In most setups he should be a #10 him playing as a #8 for City only works because the spend the majority of the match in the opposition's half.
I'm not a fan of our system, the 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 or whatever it is. A midfield three would give De Bruyne a lot more freedom going forward, not to mention we're leaving out quality midfielders in our current system (Dembélé, Nainggolan). It's not as if Carrasco is doing anything of note on that wing back position anyway, he's very poor there. I still don't think that excuses De Bruyne's performances though.
De Bruyne was really good yesterday, is it a City thing? He won back possession and almost gave Lukaku a tap in, if not for a great clearance. He set up the second goal with a lovely pass with the outside of his boot. He also won back possession and started the move for the third goal, all from playing out of position. What more do you want from the lad?
Really? Considering half of the forum can't wait to start wankfest on City player, are you seriously asking that?
He made good pass for the goal but apart from that he was average to poor, same with Hazard too.
De Bruyne was poor yesterday, too many sloppy passes for his standard.
Playing in a Pep team flatters the majority of the City squad.
Why is it surprising he isn't as good for Belgium? Most players aren't. Messi looks a different player when he's playing for Barcelona.
KDB was the best player in an otherwise poor Belgium team. He was pulling the strings from midfield and looked their most likely player to make something happen. The problem was his teammates being on different wavelength.
A City thing, really? Remember he's been "ours" for a lot longer than he's been "yours", you really think that suddenly changes our whole opinion about him? I think I can speak for most Belgians that he was pretty much our favourite player back in 2012, when he was the architect of our 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Yesterday was just not good. He gave away the ball under no pressure at all far too often, his passing was loose and sloppy. His shooting was off and the less said about his set-pieces, the better. His quality shone through with the excellent move for Lukaku's goal, but that's not enough for me. I would be more lenient with him if his usual level for Belgium was better, but it isn't. We've seen far too many poor performances from him and it's becoming increasingly frustrating when his club level is world class. We want him to replicate that, we need him to replicate that if we're going to have any chance against the better sides.
Of course, people watching a highlights reel of his matches for Belgium would probably think he's world class for us as well, but we know better.
He was inconsistent IMO.
His involvement in the first 2 goals probably turned the game for Belgium but there were plenty of cheap giveaways too.
He seems to thrive on hard work and responsibility so should improve throughout the tournament.
He's been immense today, tearing Brazil apart with his passing, and Lukaku's brilliant off the ball running. Great changes by Martinez (he must have read what I posted)
BalonDor if Belgium win World Cup? That’s how it works right?
I never want to see him as central midfielder again. Feck those managers employing him there. (he is brilliant of course, but he could be so much more)
He is the best number 10 in the game by far and that is where he should play
He is the best number 10 in the game by far and that is where he should play
So much better in this position.
The closer to the striker, the better
He was superb for City playing deeper this past season. I actually think it's a waste to have him play as a number 10. Even in this game some of his best moments was passing the ball from deep.
His best season ever was as a 10. He should be unleashed. Others can do the tidy work behind.
Best season where? In Germany?
I'd argue his past season was an even better performance.
He is so much better with less defensive responsibility.
De Bruyne dragged an average Wolfsburg team to 2nd in Bundesliga and won the Pokal with them. I'd argue that was his best individual season.
I hate to drag Pogba in this (who has been having an amazing world cup) but recently someone was talking about how him and De Bruyne are neck to neck but media just gives De Bruyne attention. I think that is nonsense. Currently De Bruyne is operating at an incredibly high level. He was brilliant again. Pogba has the ingredients and to be honest is a much different player but I don't like people who underrate De Bruyne.
I know I am going to get shat on for this comparison but I see Pogba as a more Gerrard type of player and De Bruyne as Scholes
I know I am going to get shat on for this comparison but I see Pogba as a more Gerrard type of player and De Bruyne as Scholes
He doesn't really play 'deep' for City though. In most modern teams the wingers push in, fullbacks push up for width and the centre mids stay not too far from the defence. For City though, their fulllbacks stay back, their wingers stay wide and De Bruyne and Silva seem to push up to be two 'tens' on both sides of the pitch.
Good first half but disappeared in the second.
Playing in midfield for this City team suits him as he plays somewhere between a traditional no.8 and a no.10. For Belgium their CM's play where Cities holding midfielder does. For Belgium they have to play him where he played today because he can't defend in a regular midfield 2.
The power he got on that strike was crazy. Brilliant finish. A game of 2 halves for him (and the rest of belgium, apart from Hazard today IMO), was class in the first but went quiet in the 2nd. For Belgium he needs to either be in a midfield 3 or in the front 3 like today. Putting him in a midfield 2 is a crime.
I'm not even going to lie, I'm jealous that Man City have a world class talent on their books like De Bruyne.
What a player.
What a player.
The difference is little but atm KDB just decides things, fwiw talent wise I think Pogba has many attributes on KDB but KDB just has that thing that decides games.
He's now played a huge part in deciding two games in a row in the knockout stages for Belgium despite being not at his best until today.
I think thats the difference, when both are on it, they are amazing. When they are both off KDB is likely to leave a game with and assist or two, while Pogba doesn't do that. Both amazing players.
Im jealous City have him, brilliant player 