Pep Guardiola has said Kevin De Bruyne will be better when he does the ‘simple things’ right for Manchester City as he seemed to criticise the midfielder’s form.
Guardiola has questioned De Bruyne’s form a few times this season and in October claimed he can ‘be better’. The 31-year-old has also started three of the last seven Premier League games on the bench, with his status as an undroppable star no longer intact.
And speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against RB Leipzig, Guardiola was asked about De Bruyne’s standards this season. “It’s been a difficult season I would say for all of us, me included, for the World Cup and many things,” he responded.
“So I’d say the same, I’m not going to discover Kevin. Kevin has an ability to do it. What I’d like is to go to the easy principles and do it well. He has an incredible ability to make an assist, to score goals and see passes like anyone else.
“But I always believe they will increase and will get better when the simple things, like don’t lose the ball, the mobility, the incredible capacity to be active in the movement, the simple things, do it again better and better. When this is going to happen, the rest will come along.
“I would not like to have the feeling that… it’s like Erling [Haaland] I don’t want him to just score goals and the rest I don’t care. So he will score and he will be involved in the game, in our game to be involved it means that you run inside of the game, the ball is coming and you will put in the net.
“With Kevin it’s the same. When the simple things are done perfectly, we are in the right moment, move outside and inside when we have to attack the channels or whatever you do or feel in that moment, the actions to create incredible passes that only he can find, will be easier, it will be better.”
Despite Guardiola’s criticisms of De Bruyne, the former Chelsea man has registered more Premier League assists than any other player this season and has scored five times in all competitions.
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