#17 | Kevin De Bruyne - 2021/22 Performances

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DATOIA said:
So what's your opinion ?

Who is the best number 8 in this City team and why.. I would like to read some arguments..
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Doesn't matter what my opinion is as that was not the point I was making .

I was pointing out that your opinion doesn't make it a fact , as it is still only your opinion .

Pet hate I guess when posters try to add something to their opinion.

Anyway carry on.
 
Colin Bells Boots said:
Doesn't matter what my opinion is as that was not the point I was making .

I was pointing out that your opinion doesn't make it a fact , as it is still only your opinion .

Pet hate I guess when posters try to add something to their opinion.

Anyway carry on.
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Facts are made by statistics, that's what matters in the end in Football..

Bernardo as a RCM has more win percentage than KDB as a RCM - since the August of 2018.. That's like whole 4 years, more than 100 games and etc. and etc.

So, that's what I'm talking about and I think above mentioned fully counts as a fact.

And when you have this statistics - it means that right now - with all the evidence we have -> playing Bernardo as RCM is more destined to 3 points, than KBD playing as a RCM. Which means that Bernardo is the better RCM than KDB.. Which means that Bernardo should always play his favorite RCM position and it will make us stronger, especially in the big games..

That's the truth here and I don't understand why people can't understand it. very very very obvious.
Just look at the past 3-4 seasons' games and count, everything is clear and perfectly sorted there :D
 
FantasyIreland said:
While still capbable of game changing moments,he looks painfully slow and cumbersome and has the turning circle of the Titanic.He loses the ball quite often too and that leaves us badly exposed.
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Very worrying is his slow cumbersome disposition of late. Compare him last Sat to that pivotal game against Spuds a few seasons back when he got up off the floor from a nasty challenge to score a great solo effort. He does not seem capable of influencing games in this manner anymore. Probably best these days in a wider forward role or in a Kane like role dropping into the pocket. Not sure he has the legs anymore to press for long periods in the false nine position. Strong evidence is starting to mount that he is a weak link in midfield in big games if played in the wrong combination. Perhaps he is suffering the most from the style of play dictated by not having a killer centre forward like Kun?
 
We play better when Bernardo is the right sided 8. Kev conjures goals from nowhere. Gundogan is playing his best football. Its a conundrum Pep will solve...I hope :)
 
KDB has clearly fallen away from his prime years .But what a high standard that was. His short passing has dropped off alarmingly and his ability to go past defenders and deliver an unstoppable shot is not what it was. Injuries and for me the nonsense of playing him as a false 9 has taken its toll. He is a quarterback not a box to box player. Hopefully still got some magic moments left in him.
 
The main problem is, that when KDB played in 2016/2017 or 2017/2018 or 2018/2019 as a RCM - he had Fernandinho and David Silva in their prime years.. But even that midfield Fernandinho-D.Silva-KDB trio, weren't able to control and possess the ball against the high-pressing teams like Liverpool. If you remember those Anfield games - they were total disaster..

So in that term, last season`s Rodri-Bernardo-Gundogan was better and that's why City was so comfortable against any team it faced and got to CL final..

If you ask, it's illogical how Fernandinho-David Silva-KDB trio can be worse than Rodri-Gundo-Bernardo - but that's the reality somehow and let's remember before Pep`s period, we had Silva, Nasri, MIlner, Toure, Dejong, Barry in the midfield and they never made as good midfield as the Pep`s ones. So Football is strange sometimes.

Now we have Rodri - who is the different type of defensive midfielder than Fernandinho and Gundogan - who isn't David Silva. That's why when club payed 100 million for Jack Grealish - I thought that he would be paired with KDB and maybe in future we would get someone like "young Fernandinho", so that once again KDB could have his David Silva And Fernandinho in Jack Grealish and maybe I don't know Douglas Luis for example or anyone who will be bought for that reason..

And that's why for me it was logical that after KDB`s new contract - club invested so much money in Grealish..

But somehow we haven't even seen yet Grealish - KDB duo, I don't know what will happen in future - but right now KDB and other midfielders make it impossible for him to play his best football and also - we didn't have problems in defense or other aspects of the game.

I would love to see Fernandinho-KDB-Grealish trio this year, I know it may sound crazy - but Rodri-Gundo duo and KDB isn't working either, so why not try this one and check... First of all, we all want to see how good is Grealish in midfield..
 
nellyonthewing said:
KDB has clearly fallen away from his prime years .But what a high standard that was. His short passing has dropped off alarmingly and his ability to go past defenders and deliver an unstoppable shot is not what it was. Injuries and for me the nonsense of playing him as a false 9 has taken its toll. He is a quarterback not a box to box player. Hopefully still got some magic moments left in him.
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Personally I just think father time and injuries have caught up with him.

He is not a natural athlete and has to work incredibly hard to get to a high standard of fitness, and as said numerous injuries, particularly ankle issues have taken a lot out of him.
 
I thought he kept going second half and was always looking for options.

it’s only 4/5 weeks ago he won us the 3 points out of nothing against Chelsea and that’s why he plays.

Not his finest game but I didn’t think any of the 5 offensive players did that much. Foden probably edged it as he played well second half.
 
2 assists all season, what has happened to his final ball?

Seems to hit the first man 9 times out of 10 and even his crossing has fallen off a cliff.
 
Some highlights, but it's going to go down as a poor season for Kev. I do think he's suffering for the false 9 though.
 
EdersonsSmiley said:
2 assists all season, what has happened to his final ball?

Seems to hit the first man 9 times out of 10 and even his crossing has fallen off a cliff.
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When you face a parked bus every week and you haven’t got a centre forward in front of you, it’s perhaps not a surprise that he’s not picking as many killer passes as he used to. Was poor yesterday though regardless
 
Hate to say it but Kev is becoming a major problem. The way we play we cannot afford to give the ball away because we are exposed to pacy breaks/channel balls. Kev is giving it away every single time now, has stopped trying things, is getting bullied. I know Pep is trying to get him to play his way into form but at some point soon he might have to bite the bullet.

The good news is we have three easy games on the trot for him to do it.
 
Assists is a terrible metric by the way, so don't blame him for 2 assists.

Using fbref, Kevin has an xA of 5 and in fact has the highest xA/90 on the whole team of 0.33.

It's not his fault our team hasn't been finishing his chances.

On the other hand, Kevin has 7 goals from an xG of 3.4. This is elite goal scoring levels, unbelievablly clinical.

All of this indicates to me a perfect F9 player, he is our best finisher, and it gives him the freedom to drop deep to player killer passes behind for wingers who can go behind.

He has the strong build for it too, he is built like a striker, and oddly enough is very similar to Harry Kane imo. Both are great finishers and passers, just at slightly differing levels between them.

For me, Pep has restricted Kev by forcing him to do the running and control in midfield, he is a "Numbers" player.

If I think about Kevin's time at City, or if anyone does, what do we think of? We think about his goals and assists.

What about David Silva? Nobody thinks about that, we think about his more midfield-like qualities. He was the cog to help the "Numbers" players like Kevin and the like. Same with Gundogan and Bernie.

Kevin is still one of the world's best players, but Pep has to stop playing him in the midfield, play him F9 and see the huge rewards.
 
Put him at false 9. Still very valuable, still capable of brilliance and decisive moments, you don't get in Pep teams without being world class at several aspects of the game, he's just not quite up to the physical demands of playing in our midfield anymore. That ankle injury from the Euros has done him in - he'll never recover fully.
 
youngbob said:
Put him at false 9. Still very valuable, still capable of brilliance and decisive moments, you don't get in Pep teams without being world class at several aspects of the game, he's just not quite up to the physical demands of playing in our midfield anymore. That ankle injury from the Euros has done him in - he'll never recover fully.
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Best place for him and is as false 9 at the moment I agree. Let Gundo and Bernado keep the ball for us like they were doing so well. Added bonus that Bernado had the fitness and brain to help Rodri too
 
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