Pep Guardiola has insisted that his star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne needs to go back to his fundamentals, which has made him an inconsistent name in the starting XI for Manchester City lately. The 31-year-old midfielder, who is also a two-time PFA Player of the Year winner and four-time Premier League champion, is thought to have let his high standards slide down this season.
Guardiola wants to see his classy operator perform ‘the basic things’ admirably once more. Kevin De Bruyne still leads all players in assists in the English top flight this season (13) and has set up three goals in the Champions League as well. However, he has been dropped to bench in two of City’s last four games, and managed just 2 goals and 3 assists in his last nine starts in all competitions.
Kevin De Bruyne criticised for failing to do ‘simple things’ by Guardiola
Kevin De Bruyne has been the vital cog of Guardiola’s City set-up, playing a crucial role by dishing out a stunning 38 assists and scoring 15 goals in his four Premier League winning campaigns with City. The Belgian continues to lead his side’s creative department, having already notched 18 assists already this seasons cross 34 games.
However, his recent slump in form has seen De Bruyne sit out for the reigning Premier League champions quite often, with even Guardiola not hesitating to drop his talismanic midfielder. While his struggling form since returning from the World Cup, where a star-studded Belgium team couldn’t even make it out of their Group F for the knockout stage, is quite evident, many were left perplexed that Guardiola dropped him to the bench.
Explaining his decision and what rectifications the creative wizard needs to imply to get back into the fold as a regular starter, Guardiola said:
“It’s been a difficult season for all of us, me included, due to the World Cup and many things. I’m not going to discover [how good] Kevin [is]. What I’d like – I spoke many times to him – 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 no one else.
But I always have the belief that they will increase and get better when the simple things [are done]: 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.”
Guardiola has made it clear throughout the current season that nobody can take a position in his team for granted, despite the fact that he has a wealth of creative options at his disposal. The Spaniard had said back in October of Kevin De Bruyne:
“He is not playing at his top level. His dynamic [movements] are not perfect. He knows, I spoke to him.”
On Tuesday, when City hosts RB Leipzig in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie that is now locked at 1-1 on aggregate, Kevin De Bruyne will be hoping to play a significant part for Guardiola’s side, with an eye of fulfilling his manager’s request of doing the ‘simple things’ more efficiently. With the defending league champions five points adrift of current table toppers Arsenal, Kevin De Bruyne will have to regain his mojo back if City are to achieve a three-peat of Premier League titles.