17 | Kevin De Bruyne - 2022/23 Performances

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skillman said:
Given Pep has mentioned he needs rest about 5 times in recent interviews it’s strange to have started him again today. Presumably he won’t on Wednesday.

3 games in a week is too much - Christ, 2 might be.
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I think that problem is that none of our new players have become as productive for the team as we hoped.

Gomez, Phillips, Alvarez.... these players don't contribute and that's why our regular starters get overplayed..

Last season you could play Fernandinho instead of Rodri and he would do his job at 100%.. Remember that Aston Villa away game ? He was phenomenal.. That was the game where our so called "bench" played one of the best games I have ever seen by City..

We had Zinchie, we had Raz or Jesus..

If KDB needed rest, there was Bernardo who could play RCM..

Right now we don't have that much options.. Bernardo has to play LB, Alvarez isn't nowhere near to be called "Ready", Phillips is even worse (judging by what we have seen so far..), so who is left ? Maybe Phil and hopefully we will see him more often in that position.

Today he was fresh and energetic, I liked his body language in overall, maybe he can be the player who adds extra power to our midfield engine.. Cause with Gundo and KDB together, that's not gonna happen 3 times per week..
 
DATOIA said:
I think that problem is that none of our new players have become as productive for the team as we hoped.

Gomez, Phillips, Alvarez.... this players don't contribute and that's why our regular starters get overplayed..

Last season you could play Fernandinho instead of Rodri and he would do his job at 100%.. Remember that Aston Villa away game ? He was phenomenal..

We had Zinchie, we had Raz or Jesus..

If KDB needed rest, there was Bernardo who could play RCM..

Right now we don't have that much options.. Bernardo has to play LB, Alvarez isn't nowhere near to be called "Ready", Phillips is even worse (judging by what we have seen so far..), so who is left ? Maybe Phil and hopefully we will see him more often in that position.

Today he was fresh and energetic, I liked his body language in overall, maybe he can be the player who adds extra power to our midfield engine.. Cause with Gundo and KDB together, that's not gonna happen 3 times per week..
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Regardless of that, there’s still a shit load of quality in this squad to pull something out of nothing. Mahrez didn’t get on the pitch today - he’d walk into every other team in the league.

Agree, the onus falls on KDB a lot but that’s more to the detriment of Pep more than anybody - the tactics have been, for a while, to get the ball to Kev and hope for something special but I do think we’re getting past that.

Might sound silly but judging by the comments he’s made recently, I don’t think he particularly trusts Kev to pull us out the shit anymore. At least not consistently.
 
Kev's always had his inconsistencies, it's the price you pay because of what he can give you at his best, or the way he can be unimpressive for 89 minutes and then pop up with the winning goal or assist.

As he's got older his bad has got worse and his good has got more infrequent. Especially alongside a Gundo who's also a little past his prime and in front of a ridiculously overplayed Rodri, our midfield is becoming a problem.

Kev still has his moments, he's still contributing, but we desperately need cover. Get Kev down to maybe once a week and have a good option to replace him off the bench if it's not going his way. I think some decent rest and an easing of the pressure would be great for him.
 
FantasyIreland said:
Generally he didn't play any worse today than he has been doing for a good while now,the difference was a lack of the magic moments.

Some of you have been kidding yourselves.

I thought Gundo was less effective btw,and I still would not have them both in the same 11.
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You have not said that before, yawn, and he hasnt played that bad all season or the last
 
My question is his drop of form, is it permanent due to age for example or temporarily due to fatigue? Cause something is not working well with him right now. Pep and KD need to sort this as soon as possible.
 
FantasyIreland said:
Generally he didn't play any worse today than he has been doing for a good while now,the difference was a lack of the magic moments.

Some of you have been kidding yourselves.

I thought Gundo was less effective btw,and I still would not have them both in the same 11.
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KDB is not the same player as last season. He was terrible in the world cup too. I think he's been dreadful every other game this season. He's basically made more mistakes this season than previous four seasons combined or so...

Something is going on with him.
 
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we do need to revamp midfield, Bernardo and Gundo could be both leaving. that leaves not much energy and running in our midfield. Bellingham would be great for a start but another midfielder needed with legs and some power and energy.

KDB aint going anywhere but also physically he is gonna be worse and some signs that already are there to see.
there are even rumours Phillips might be moved out too.
 
Hope we don’t give Gundogan a new deal. A lovely footballer but simply hasn’t got the pace or energy levels required for this league
 
HenryB said:
KDB is not the same player as last season. He was terrible in the world cup too. I think he's been dreadful every other game this season. He's basically made more mistakes this season than previous four seasons combined or so...

Something is going on with him.
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He'll be 32 at the end of the season.

He's not aging like Fernandinho.

Love him but need to not play him every 3 days.. seems to me games on 2 days rest are stinkers!
 
He's usually absolutely cooked after 60 mins these days, hes also been pretty sloppy on the whole this season. Yes, he produces moments and quality no one else in world football can do at times but too often this season games have just passed him by.
 
Blue2202 said:
He's usually absolutely cooked after 60 mins these days, hes also been pretty sloppy on the whole this season. Yes, he produces moments and quality no one else in world football can do at times but too often this season games have just passed him by.
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When he was taken out though against Spurs, we were crap so until we buy a replacement who can create goals then he has to play because the other players don’t step up.
 
He's fucked, needs several matches rest now. More worryingly is the lack of interest he shows in a lot of matches now, where he just has the look of ' fuck it' I'm not in the mood today, the Forest game being a prime example of this. Been many more this season as well
 
It's a weird one. 12 assists, 4 goals. Statistically still by far one of the best players in this league and probably the Prem's top match-winner. If you didn't watch City games, you could be forgiven for wondering what on Earth we're all talking about when we criticise him.

And yet, he's just not quite been the Kev we know and love. Sloppy passes, wayward shooting, a general malaise about some of his play.

I can't blame him for it, as it's quite clear he's being overplayed. The talent and vision are still there, and you can see that same desire to create and make things happen almost every time he plays, but the body can't keep up like it once did.

It's a harsh reality and something we've gotten used to seeing with some of our biggest stars of the last few years as they approach the latter stages of their careers.

Yet, at the same time, you only have to look to Madrid and see a guy like Modric still running games and winning Champions Leagues despite pushing 40. Of course, they're very different players, but it's just an example that a few extra years on the clock and a little less pace doesn't necessarily mean that a player is done and dusted.

Kev CAN still be a big part of this side for a good while, but he needs to be managed more effectively, and we have to give him some support. Sadly, that's not coming until the summer. Until then, we'll seemingly have to get used to seeing these somewhat tepid performances interspersed with his usual moments of magic. Maybe Pep might try something different, like dropping Grealish into that creator role and giving Kev a little respite, but it doesn't look too likely.

Still absolutely adore this player and it's tough to see him struggle. And that's why, for me, our priority in the summer should be finding a midfielder who can provide some serious assists. We need another spark to do at least some of what Kev does, so he doesn't constantly have to feel like that match-winning weight is always on his shoulders. If he can start playing a little less next season and have a lighter burden, I'm sure we can see him perhaps not "back to his best" but definitely more comfortable on the pitch.
 
FantasyIreland said:
Good,he looks fucked.
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It's February and he's already played the equivalent of 35 ninety minute matches.

We've still got potentially 25 matches (27 with FA Cup replays) to go, and Belgium have 2 more.

He's been absolutely run into the ground, and the worrying thing is that at his age, sometimes players don't come back from that.
 
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