Guardiola says De Bruyne must get back to basics

Tom Weber

• 13 Mar 2023 12:26 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola had some choice words for star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne ahead of his side's crucial Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.

The 52-year-old revealed that he has repeatedly urged the Belgian to do the "simple things." This comes after De Bruyne claimed that there are heightened expectations of him compared to the rest of the league.

"What I would like . . . is for him [De Bryune] to do the easy principles, and do [them] well," Guardiola said. The Spaniard then highlighted De Bruyne's impressive skillset, stating that he "has an incredible ability to make an assist, score goals and see passes [better] than anyone else."

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There is, however, always a "but." Guardiola revealed: "But always, I believe, they will increase and will get better when [they do] the simple things - like don't lose the ball, the mobility, that incredible capacity to be active in the movement - the simple things, do it again better and better."

Is age getting to De Bruyne?

De Bruyne, like many of his teammates, has come under some scrutiny due to Manchester City's spotty form this season, which has them six points adrift of Arsenal and chasing shadows in the title race, despite convincingly beating the Gunners 3-1 back in February.

The 31-year-old jovially downplayed suggestions that he's getting on a bit, saying: "I'm an old man in this game, I'm not an old man." He also stated that he has no idea when he will retire. "I don't know how long I want to play," he said. "As long as I'm having fun, I will play football."

He concluded with the reassuring claim that he's "not able to think about that [retirement] yet." And the Premier League is better off for it: the Belgian midfield maestro currently leads the league's assist charts with an impressive 13 as well as having chipped in with four goals.

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Pep Guardiola's side drew their first leg against Leipzig 1-1. Can they move on to the next round or will their Champions League hoodoo continue?