Pep Guardiola
Kevin De Bruyne can still get better for Manchester City following his performance vs RB Leipzig, according to Pep Guardiola. City were ruthless in a 7-0 second-leg win that saw them coast into the quarter-finals after a tense first leg. Haaland scored five to break multiple club and European records, while De Bruyne appeared back to his brilliant best. Guardiola had challenged De Bruyne to go back to basics in the build-up to this match after a couple of below-par performances, but the Belgian offered far more than just doing the simple things right as he was at the heart of everything City did in attack. His injury-time stunner was just rewards for a talismanic performance.
However, Guardiola hinted that he knew he could always rely on De Bruyne to perform vs Leipzig, and urged the midfielder to ‘realise’ he must continue to improve.
Pep Guardiola said: “Kevin is a player for the dynamics. If he doesn’t have the dynamic or movements he is not a player like can play there. He’s not a player who receives the ball in the pockets and can stop. He’s a guy who outside, inside, attack here, attack there. Make the transitions, press high. Building from Bernardo, Erling. Intensity we have, this is the player we know. I know Kevin can’t play all the time in that position. You have to understand his quality. When it happens, the assists come free, the goals come free. [But] he doesn’t do that after the amount of balls he lost to give up transitions for the opponents [in previous games]. He doesn’t make assists or goals. I am going to discover Kevin De Bruyne? After seven years together, I’m going to tell you how incredible he is? In periods sometimes you are up, lows. When Kevin is right, left, moving here, close to central defenders to set the ball, in the box arrive, make the transitions. Kevin is ‘hats off’. But he has to realise. Because when that happens, he doesn’t lose balls. He’s aggressive with the ball and helps us to make high press. The people say ‘he has to play KDB all the time’. You think I’m stupid in that level Leipzig are going to play? He would not play in that way. You have to sit and realise. Bernardo deserve to play? Gundogan, he’s the best midfielder we have this season. They have to compete with each other and reach the highest level possible. Otherwise another player is going to play.”
