17 | Kevin De Bruyne - 2022/23 Performances

[asahartford1]

He completed 85% of the passes, that's incredibly high for how much risks he takes. No one in the team takes risks like KDB, it's obvious that he's asked to do that because he is by far the best in the team with his creativity and passing. Poor crosses? Sure you want us to pass the ball back again for the 20th time and recycle the play then? 50/50 balls, again he takes the risks especially when we have the possibility of a counterattack, and according to data Foden, Cancelo and Bernardo have lost more balls for our team than KDB.

Why should we care that he takes crazy risks in the last 25 yards? If it goes well, it creates a goal chance, if it goes bad then we should have a minimum of 5 players behind. If KDB creates 6 good chances and loses 2 balls that creates us danger, then it's still an incredibly ratio that I and any manager in the world would take. That means if we are more clinical, we should score 3 times more than the other team.

If some people cannot understand what you say, I doubt any amount of persuasion will change the viewpoint.

The player with the most vision, and the best passer of a ball, takes the most risks in the final third.

For you and I that maybe a simple football concept, for some as unfathomable as a daytrip to Mars.

 

[WallyA]

Nobody wants Kevin to lose his creativity or to stop taking risky passes.

But equally we can also say that he can have a tendency to lose possession of the ball due to lack of ball control or awareness that is more a strength to alot of the other players, this is why last years the discussion of him or Gundogan arose. He is dispossessed more than any other player on the team, every game. Not a passing stat.

That's just a weakness to his game, he isn't silky like Bernie or Silva.

That being said, the shooting technique and ridiculous passing level allow me to accept his weakness in favour of keeping those strengths.

 

[lasereyes]

Whenever there's a doubt, just play back that title winning goal last May. Absolutely ridiculous assist. No other player in the world would have come close to doing that

 

[Lauz9888]

No player is perfect, and Kev's strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.

We've got a whole load of match control and possession retention all over the pitch in most of our possible starting line-ups (and if Kev does lose the ball, he's not exactly lazy or useless in winning it back).

If Pep wants him to work on protecting the ball more, he'll get him working on it. But his current rate of possession turnover doesn't really bother me because it's not actually that bad, and it's the price we pay for a creativity that few other players in world football would be able to provide.

Best attacking player in the league, for me.

 

[SebastianBlue]

He's ok.

 

[Withnail]

Sublime ball for the Alvarez goal, no one better in the world at playing that sort of pass.

 

[ninjamonkey]

That ball! Match needs an 18+ certificate if he's going to produce football porn like that.

 

[asahartford1]

That pass for Alvarez goal.

He was millimetres away from being dispossessed as he weighed up the pass, then centimetres away from it being intercepted by the defender.

But he wasn't, and the defender didn't, and Alvarez did.

What a player.

 

[Big Swifty]

Sublime ball for the Alvarez goal, no one better in the world at playing that sort of pass.

It was pure genius. The vision (to see it in the first place) and the execution (measured to the inch and weighted to perfection) were beyond brilliant.
I look forward to an England midfielder producing that sort of magic.
I fear I may have to wait a long time.

 

[supercity88]

Nobody wants Kevin to lose his creativity or to stop taking risky passes.

But equally we can also say that he can have a tendency to lose possession of the ball due to lack of ball control or awareness that is more a strength to alot of the other players, this is why last years the discussion of him or Gundogan arose. He is dispossessed more than any other player on the team, every game. Not a passing stat.

That's just a weakness to his game, he isn't silky like Bernie or Silva.

That being said, the shooting technique and ridiculous passing level allow me to accept his weakness in favour of keeping those strengths.

Definitely. He should have had an assist against Leicester too. Gundogan just couldn't get there because he's not blessed with express pace these days. That ball was sensational too. As was the one for Alvarez and countless more he's played over the years - the one for Haaland against United was just sublime.

We need someone to drive us forwards and take that risk to break teams down. Especially when we have players like Haaland and Alvarez that like to make a run in behind. Otherwise it's all too predictable. De Bruyne can easily play the simple pass and keep the ball ticking over. He's not as good as others but he can do that job if required. But you'd be silly to tell the world's best player to change their game.