Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to work on the “simple things” to get back to his best – and compared his struggles to that of Erling Haaland’s in terms of getting in the game.
De Bruyne has registered 17 assists in 34 appearances – three more than he managed in 45 games last season – in a side chasing three trophies this term.
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Yet with Guardiola having started him on the bench for three of the last seven Premier League games, including at Crystal Palace on Saturday night, the manager clearly feels the levels of one of his big-name stars have fallen.
“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.
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Pep Guardiola believes public opinion on his time as Manchester City manager will be solely judged on his Champions League success
“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.
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“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.”
De Bruyne: I’m a perfectionist
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The Athletic’s David Ornstein and The Sun’s Charlie Wyett discuss the reasons behind Kevin De Bruyne’s recent dip in form
Guardiola was speaking at a press conference to preview City’s Champions League last-16 second leg against RB Leipzig on Tuesday and shared his club’s media duties with De Bruyne, although the pair were not in the room at the same time.
For his part, De Bruyne insisted he would always strive to hit the highest possible standards and had no thoughts about whether he might have to adapt his game, or even play in a different position, in the future.
The 31-year-old said: “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.
Image: De Bruyne has been named on the bench for three out of his last seven Premier League matches
“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 side still have work to do against Leipzig, who are third in the Bundesliga, after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last-16 tie in Germany three weeks ago.
He said: “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.”
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