Pep Guardiola has urged Kevin De Bruyne to concentrate on the “simple things” to get again to his finest.
The Belgium playmaker has not been at his most dynamic as Manchester City have struggled to match the excessive ranges of consistency they’ve produced in recent times.
It stays relative, with the inspirational De Bruyne nonetheless having registered 17 assists in 34 appearances in a facet chasing three trophies this time period – three extra assists than he managed in 45 video games final season.
Yet with Guardiola having began him on the bench for 3 of the final seven Premier League video games, the supervisor clearly feels the degrees of one in all his big-name stars have fallen.
Guardiola stated: “It’s been a difficult season, I would say, for all of us, me included, (because of) the World Cup and many things.
“I’m not going to discover Kevin. Kevin has an ability to do it. What I’d like – I spoke many times to him – is to go to the easy principles and do it well.
“He has an incredible ability to make an assist, to score goals and see passes like no-one else, but I always have belief they will increase and will get better when the simple things, like don’t lose the ball, the mobility, the incredible capacity to be active in the movement, to do it again better and better, the rest will come along.
“It’s like Erling (Haaland). I don’t want him to just score goals and the rest I don’t care. He will score and he will be involved in the game.
“With Kevin it’s the same. When the simple things are done perfectly and we are in the right moment, the actions to create incredible passes that he – only he – can find, it will be easier, it will be better.”
Guardiola was talking at a press convention to preview City’s Champions League last-16 second leg in opposition to RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
I’m a perfectionist. Whatever I do in soccer or life, I’ll all the time need it to be 100 per cent.
Kevin De Bruyne
He shared his membership’s media duties with De Bruyne, though the pair weren’t within the room on the similar time.
For his half, De Bruyne insisted he would all the time attempt to hit the very best doable requirements and had no ideas about whether or not he may need to adapt his recreation, and even play in a distinct place, sooner or later.
The 31-year-old stated: “I’m a perfectionist. Whatever I do in football or life, I will always want it to be 100 per cent.
“In that regard, if the time would come, that is something I would think about but it’s not necessarily now.
“If I think about it at this particular time I would like to stay as high as possible, for as long as possible, but that isn’t only my decision.”
Guardiola accepts his facet nonetheless have work to do in opposition to Leipzig, who’re third within the Bundesliga, after the 2 sides performed out a 1-1 draw within the first leg of their last-16 tie in Germany three weeks in the past.
He stated: “Always I believe in ‘transition’ games, it is always (the toss of) a coin. It can go in your favour or (not) but it is a knockout game and maybe we need to break more of the game, maybe we don’t.
“We will see. In the end the game will dictate what we have to do. We’ll try to adjust a few things that will maybe help us to have more control and play a bit better.”
