Kevin De Bruyne | Appreciation thread

[BlueRockape]

Funny how the fukin vermin press pack are blowing smoke up his arse now he is leaving

Cunts

 

[BadSeedPro]

I get that thinking, but for me it is the right decision regardless. We have carried too many past it players in midfield this year, leading to Pep recklessly starting them all together and losing point after point doing it.

Anyway, the attacking midfield will absolutely be put money into the summer. Also a huge season for Bobb next year, who I don't really buy as the current messiah he has grown into during his injury but I do think he has the ceiling of a world-class player

All these other past it midfielders will be still at the club next season according to pep yesterday. Btw Kev has still created the most big chances this season and is second in assists.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Just to echo what so many have said. Probably the greatest player to ever play for City. For me the greatest midfielder of the PL era by a distance. I'm not sure there's actually been a better midfielder in the world full stop in my lifetime. Sounds weird but being a ginger kid from Belgium as opposed to being from Spain or Brazil or even Argentina, has stopped him getting the accolades he deserves.

From the club's POV, I can understand why they've chosen not to renew him. The club can't standstill and has to keep moving forward. We've wrung every ounce of quality out of a generation of players. Time for a new generation to step forward.

Personally, I’d always have prime Spanish Dave ever so slightly ahead of prime Kev.

Both legends though.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Personally, I’d always have prime Spanish Dave ever so slightly ahead of prime Kev.

Both legends though.

David was more aesthetic in his magic. Silky smooth body movements and ball control.

KDB is more direct and manipulates angles and passes with his unrivalled vision and anticipation.

I’m in a headspace where I don’t need to rank them. They’re both utterly elite.

 

[simon23]

Stonesy is already there for me.

If Foden fucks it up from here I will be speechless. I am 99% percent sure this season is just a perfect storm of him being tired physically and mentally and the whole team and dressung room stinking it out making it difficult to recover. I hope he comes back with a vengeance next season

Love Stones

If it wasnt for his injuries I would agree but has he had a big enough influence consistently??....again if it wasnt for the injuries he would be nailed on legend - but I think he falls just short cause of the inconsistency in him being on the pitch....you can certainly point to patches of seasons where he meets the criteria though

Agree on Foden..there is clearly an issue off the field.....its been obvious since the start of the season and I have said it a number of times that there was something going on off field.

 

[ScottSinclair]

All these other past it midfielders will be still at the club next season according to pep yesterday. Btw Kev has still created the most big chances this season and is second in assists.

Which is exactly why it is time to go seperate ways with the one that has an expiring contract.

I wouldn't really put too much stock into who Pep says are staying in April anyway. Gundogan left at the perfect time and should never have come back in the capacity he did, Bernardo has looked awful but with him it is still reasonable to assume that it might be mental fatigue more than some career-ending decline, still only 30.
Kovacic is never in a million years a pivot, but build a squad good enough where he doesn't need to deputise as one and he is still the quality we need as squad-option.

Kevin is 34, is physically shot and while he still has more talent in his little finger than a bunch of other midfielders in the league which helps him provide magic still, you can see he has reached the point where his body and movement has slowed down to the point where standard-Kev stuff like his touch and weight of pass and dribbling has deserted him too often to be able to be justify a place in a team that wants to win stuff at this level. We saw it happen with David Silva, we have seen it with Yaya and we have seen it with Gundogan this season.

I'd love him to use this as an springboard to elevate his performance levels and go out with some great games securing top 4/5 and lifting the FA Cup but his farewell is right on schedule. Walker and Gundo should have left after the treble with new blood coming in, Bernardo and one of the defenders should have left in the summer and Kev were always leaving at the end of his current contract unless he showed no drop-off. When he has showed a significant drop-off it would be stupid from the club renewing him when we already have painted ourselves into a corner during the rebuild with the others.

For what it is worth, I agree somewhat. Becuase I'd rather have Kev with his skillset coming of the bench than the current Bernardo. I have no idea who of those 2 are better in the dressing room as squad-players though, and I think it is a calculated risk that Bernardo is much more likely to find some consistent form again

 

[.db.]

Personally, I’d always have prime Spanish Dave ever so slightly ahead of prime Kev.

Both legends though.

David Silva was more consistent than any player I’ve seen. While De Bruyne could have the odd stinker, Silva hardly ever did. But Silva couldn’t hit the heights of top quality that De Bruyne could.

I reckon De Bruyne has a case of being the best player (not just midfielder) ever in the PL and is up in the top three midfielders of all-time with Zidane and Iniesta. While Silva was great, I don’t think he was at that level.

 

[robbieh]

Personally, I’d always have prime Spanish Dave ever so slightly ahead of prime Kev.

Both legends though.

Silva was a wonderful player but ask anyone in Spain if he was better than Iniesta you'd get a unanimous no.

Kevin is better than Iniesta.

 

[simon23]

Personally, I’d always have prime Spanish Dave ever so slightly ahead of prime Kev.

Both legends though.

Im with you on that

David Silva controlled a whole pitch and game..not only what we did as a team but what the other team did as well...the man is a genius.
David Silva was all about the pre assist as well as the assist.
His level never dropped below a 7 out of 10 - even in his final years unlike KDB (not a criticism but KDB relies somewhat on his drive and physicality with the ball - David Silva didnt which is why there was not the detereoration in his game that we have seen so markedly with KDB and the likes of Walker for example)

David Silva was immaculate with and without the ball

 

[ScottSinclair]

Love Stones

If it wasnt for his injuries I would agree but has he had a big enough influence consistently??....again if it wasnt for the injuries he would be nailed on legend - but I think he falls just short cause of the inconsistency in him being on the pitch....you can certainly point to patches of seasons where he meets the criteria though

Agree on Foden..there is clearly an issue off the field.....its been obvious since the start of the season and I have said it a number of times that there was something going on off field.

I think Stones has the right amount of longevity, quality and romaticism around his tenure for us. But then again I love him

He was one of Peps first signings, and will probably be here for the duration of his spell. He came back from that really dark period in his life when he looked done at this level and him and Otamendi were kept away from each other by Pep because both struggled for different reasons. He responded to that by forming rhe best central defence in the country with Dias which Dias got a lot of credit for but I always thought in-form Stonesy was the most important part of. Many injury set-backs followed but he came and were one og the biggest reasons we got over the line in Europe culminating in a man of the match performance in Istanbul. That clearance against Liverpool to win the league in 2019.

Bit of a what-if career because among other fanbases he never really played enough to stand out over time, when he should have been known as one the three best centre-backs of his generation and he should have been known as the best english centre-back for decades which I think he still is nut not as clearly as he should have been. But he ticks all the boxes for club-legend imo.

This is blasphemy for some, but I have him ahead of Kompany as a defender. And while Kompanys influence in bringing us to the next level is part of what made him a great, their career is pretty similiar. And you could argue Stonesy played a bigger part in more trophies all though he played longer in a better team.

I want a fit John Stones so badly

 

[carlosthejackal]

I think Stones has the right amount of longevity, quality and romaticism around his tenure for us. But then again I love him

He was one of Peps first signings, and will probably be here for the duration of his spell. He came back from that really dark period in his life when he looked done at this level and him and Otamendi were kept away from each other by Pep because both struggled for different reasons. He responded to that by forming rhe best central defence in the country with Dias which Dias got a lot of credit for but I always thought in-form Stonesy was the most important part of. Many injury set-backs followed but he came and were one og the biggest reasons we got over the line in Europe culminating in a man of the match performance in Istanbul. That clearance against Liverpool to win the league in 2019.

Bit of a what-if career because among other fanbases he never really played enough to stand out over time, when he should have been known as one the three best centre-backs of his generation and he should have been known as the best english centre-back for decades which I think he still is nut not as clearly as he should have been. But he ticks all the boxes for club-legend imo.

This is blasphemy for some, but I have him ahead of Kompany as a defender. And while Kompanys influence in bringing us to the next level is part of what made him a great, their career is pretty similiar. And you could argue Stonesy played a bigger part in more trophies all though he played longer in a better team.

I want a fit John Stones so badly

Love Stones but Kompany was a true leader on and off the pitch . Been a privilege to watch them both .

 

[simon23]

I think Stones has the right amount of longevity, quality and romaticism around his tenure for us. But then again I love him

He was one of Peps first signings, and will probably be here for the duration of his spell. He came back from that really dark period in his life when he looked done at this level and him and Otamendi were kept away from each other by Pep because both struggled for different reasons. He responded to that by forming rhe best central defence in the country with Dias which Dias got a lot of credit for but I always thought in-form Stonesy was the most important part of. Many injury set-backs followed but he came and were one og the biggest reasons we got over the line in Europe culminating in a man of the match performance in Istanbul. That clearance against Liverpool to win the league in 2019.

Bit of a what-if career because among other fanbases he never really played enough to stand out over time, when he should have been known as one the three best centre-backs of his generation and he should have been known as the best english centre-back for decades which I think he still is nut not as clearly as he should have been. But he ticks all the boxes for club-legend imo.

This is blasphemy for some, but I have him ahead of Kompany as a defender. And while Kompanys influence in bringing us to the next level is part of what made him a great, their career is pretty similiar. And you could argue Stonesy played a bigger part in more trophies all though he played longer in a better team.

I want a fit John Stones so badly

Kompany had a very different style - a lot more aboutt he battle and physical style...he would have been a good partner for Stones as well.
Love Stones to and he does have those clutch moments like you say...that performance as you say in the CL final was outstanding.

Unfortunately he clearly has serious injury issues...reoccuring....if he had been fit this season and all season even without rodri i think we would have faired a lot better.

 

[mexico1970]

Could this game today be Kevs swan song? This could be his parting gift to us.

 

[adopted_manc]

Could this game today be Kevs swan song? This could be his parting gift to us.

I clearly hope to be wrong... but I am afraid it might have been Newcastle last year

 

[Blu1]

Legend but should not be starting any more games

 

[Axel Freed]

Bless him, he really wanted to leave a lasting imprint on those cunts and played his heart out today.

Father Time waits for no man though.

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Can’t believe he lasted 90. He is shot. I pray he lifts that FA Cup.

 

[Kippax77]

Legend but should not be starting any more games

10 passes all finding rags cements your statement

 

[Rammy Blue]

That 90 mins is exactly why he’s going, shame.

 

[Damanino]

very sad to see his accuracy being so bad. he did always lose possession a bit more than other as he was trying more risky passes and very often he landed a few and those were match winning passes.

nothing of those lately just poor first touch, poor almost hurried passes due to being scared of tackled, inaccurate short passes and not much energy without the ball.

all of it made worse of course others around him not much better and also far from their peak like Gundo, Bernardo, Foden.