Kevin De Bruyne

Iniesta is the best of the three. But who knows.
Iniesta is the most exciting to watch but he's less decisive than Xavi and KDB, their goal/assist input outweighs Iniesta's by far.

All 3 are/were big game players also.
 
KDB celebrates when it means something. He doesn't celebrate when he scores in dead rubbers on if its the 4th or 5th goal in a hiding. Stupid stick to try and beat him with.



Haha fair enough. People are just talking about celebrations, but my initial point was that I find him a bit boring. Guess for the same reason people call James Milner boring. My opinion, of course. I reiterate that I feel he's a super player.
 
Who do you guys think Pep rates higher, him or Xavi and Iniesta?
Initially i read "him" as in Guardiola himself

Anyways, good question. Guardiola has repeatedly called De Bruyne the best or the most talented player he's ever coached(the caveat that Messi is an alien, you can't really coach him because he knows better than you, and doesn't count)
Wow, disagree with that. He easily tops them with crosses but final balls through the middle and/or splitting the defence, he's inferior to both Iniesta and Xavi for me.
Hmmm. De Bruyne uses those a lot more and with greater results than Xavi did, while Iniesta was never on their level as a passer in general

There's a reason why De Bruyne regularly puts up bigger assist/chance creation numbers than Iniesta and Xavi did for most of their careers(though Xavi at his best in 08-10 was on the same level. Xavi was absurd). And he doesn't have the benefit of a player like Messi either
 
Haha fair enough. People are just talking about celebrations, but my initial point was that I find him a bit boring. Guess for the same reason people call James Milner boring. My opinion, of course. I reiterate that I feel he's a super player.

Yeah, he's very much a pretty boring dude I'd say, lives and breathes football. I don't think he even fell out with Courtois after he boned his missus.
 
Wow, disagree with that. He easily tops them with crosses but final balls through the middle and/or splitting the defence, he's inferior to both Iniesta and Xavi for me.
As other has pointed out KDB is in same level if not more consistent at this kind of thing. What Xavi is absolutely best is ability to control the tempo of the game regardless opposition. Xavi can run the midfield with the help with other to suffocate oppositions. Something we're yet to see other midfielder in similar status has such influence. KDB is more Fabregas, more direct.

Iniesta's primary role in Pep system is to consistent bring the ball up the the forwards, more than that of Xavi, Busquet or the fullbacks. Iniesta filled in, provide needed balance in every aspect of Pep system: ball retention, ball carrying, joining the attack, wing (stretch) play to release wide forwards, picking ball from deep positions... Iniesta is the player for the moment. Throughout his career, he was among one of those in the team that provided those crucial match winning/ saving moments when others in the team couldn't. I felt like KDB had yet to have enough those moment. That's what separates them for now.

KDB role is similar to Iniesta's. As I mentioned Fabregas, I feel KDB quality is a mix of Fabregas and Iniesta. City approach is more direct compare to Pep's Barcelona.
 


Bit of an odd comment to make... I wonder how happy he is there having missed out on the CL again.


Fecking idiot, a City player of all moaning about money. A club that just beat a ban for financial irregularities on a technicality.
 
Bayern with KdB in it as well would just be ridiculously unfair. Yet a tantalizing prospect from a neutral perspective.
KdB avtually wanted to go to Bayern and Bayern wanted him, but the price was considered too expensive. Without oil money in football Bayern would have been one hell of a club.
 
Bit of an odd comment to make... I wonder how happy he is there having missed out on the CL again.
Seems daft to say considering City in general are a very succesful team but I do sometimes wonder if some of the players like Aguero, D.Silva and de Bruyne think why have I wasted my prime years at City when I'm more than good enough to be winning the UCL.
 


Bit of an odd comment to make... I wonder how happy he is there having missed out on the CL again.

Totally out of context.
Hate journalists for doing this. They know the 'quote' is utterly out of context, and yet still publish, just to create some clicks and controversy. They are all pricks..
KDB is the only player at City whom i genuinely like. Would have loved him at United in a different era
 
Miguel Delaney loves winding up City fans so no surprise he's taking De Bruyne's words out of context
 
He's completely right when it comes to the lack of rest for players and the cramped schedule ahead. It makes no sense whatsoever.
 
Seems daft to say considering City in general are a very succesful team but I do sometimes wonder if some of the players like Aguero, D.Silva and de Bruyne think why have I wasted my prime years at City when I'm more than good enough to be winning the UCL.
Well...they could have...won it with City. They're not absolvent of blame.
 
I just watched all of that and can't see how he can be down for any criticism with what he has said. Pretty sure every City fan (and neutral for that matter) will agree with his words.

Yup he's spot on, another game we threw away and another competition in a shocking season. Its no good leading every competition in every metric when you constantly feck up the games that count.
 
its about as good an interview you'll ever get in this situation. The tweet is completely out of context.

Miguel Delaney is just a cnut who hates City, sucks off Klopp everytime he gets. Proper piece of shit.
 
Unbelievably classy guy, really really is. Well spoken, makes sense, takes defeat reasonably well and fronts up to it.

And how an educated journalist "doesn't know" what he means by something so basic is a bit odd and wildly baiting, he should be sacked for blatant baiting. He's basically saying they get no rest because money rules and says they have to start up again more or less instantly. I block the lot of them, journalism is dead - it's just reply troll baiting now. Becoming a journo has actually ruined some good solo writers too... it's painful, but people gotta earn I guess so dignity gets thrown out of the window for a free pass to loads of sport.
 
Seems daft to say considering City in general are a very succesful team but I do sometimes wonder if some of the players like Aguero, D.Silva and de Bruyne think why have I wasted my prime years at City when I'm more than good enough to be winning the UCL.

When they look at their bank accounts those feelings will quickly disappear. Bearing in mind they'll have won plenty domestically.
 
Well...they could have...won it with City. They're not absolvent of blame.
Yeah you're right, they're part of those teams that lost and it's not like they were amazing but let down by their team mates, they were all part of the performances too.
 
Fecking idiot, a City player of all moaning about money. A club that just beat a ban for financial irregularities on a technicality.
Context is pretty important in his interview though :lol: Never react to twitter tidbits, they're always bullshit.
 
He's completely right when it comes to the lack of rest for players and the cramped schedule ahead. It makes no sense whatsoever.
Yeah, there will be some amount of hamstrings pulled come December
 
Context is pretty important in his interview though :lol: Never react to twitter tidbits, they're always bullshit.

Very true, and I won’t pretend that I’ve seen the interview.
 
Yup he's spot on, another game we threw away and another competition in a shocking season. Its no good leading every competition in every metric when you constantly feck up the games that count.

I still can't quite get over what Guardiola was playing at. He changed so much and needlessly, too. The second goal was fortunate and the sequence from Sterling's miss to Ederson's fumble was horrific, but there was so much that could have been done differently. The first half in particular just looked wrong with what they were doing. Sterling will get tons of blame for his miss, but the blame is with Guardiola for me on this one.

I have a feeling that De Bruyne will go down as one of these players who everyone universally agrees is world class and quality, but ultimately doesn't win as much as he could have done.
 
Yeah, there will be some amount of hamstrings pulled come December

Yeah, it's madness really. In my opinion they should scrap that Euro tournament full stop and use the time (and the International breaks) to adjust the season better. Probably scrap the 2nd rate domestic cups too.
 
I still can't quite get over what Guardiola was playing at. He changed so much and needlessly, too. The second goal was fortunate and the sequence from Sterling's miss to Ederson's fumble was horrific, but there was so much that could have been done differently. The first half in particular just looked wrong with what they were doing. Sterling will get tons of blame for his miss, but the blame is with Guardiola for me on this one.

I have a feeling that De Bruyne will go down as one of these players who everyone universally agrees is world class and quality, but ultimately doesn't win as much as he could have done.

He did it vs Real too in the first half of the 2nd leg. He constantly over thinks things and his reliance on Gundo and Rodri in big games is horrible as are our results vs big teams when they play together. A huge part of this season which was a shambles (I feel kinda arrogant calling a season where we won the league cup, came 2nd in the league and got to the last 8 a shambles given some of my football supporting experiences with City a shambles but) is down to Pep.

He has had a poor season this season, imho. Much worse than his first season here. Square pegs and round holes, slow lifeless midfield with no energy except KDB, a system that makes good CB's look like novices and John Stones look like he's never seen a football. He has a fair bit to answer for.