Kevin de Bruyne on City future and Feyenoord
25/11/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
25/11/2024
CFGA, Manchester, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Same process as before, please, guys, we'll take questions in English first,
00:08followed by questions in Dutch to follow.
00:11Simon?
00:15Hi, Kevin.
00:17After the defeat to Sporting, Bernardo Silva said that City were in a dark place,
00:24and you've lost two more games since then.
00:27Can you just sum up the mood in the dressing room?
00:30Because clearly this is completely different to anything as a group that you've experienced before.
00:39Dark? I wouldn't say dark.
00:41I would say it's been a bit chaotic before, I would say.
00:50I've seen so many people pass around the medical area, like sports science,
00:56who's playing, who's not playing, there's been people who shouldn't be playing,
01:02but they did anyway, even with an injury,
01:05so I would say these games with Sporting, Brighton and Bournemouth were a bit all over the place.
01:10I would say before the Tottenham game it seemed pretty much all right to me,
01:16obviously then we had the defeat, so we just had yesterday where it was a bit quiet,
01:22but then for the rest I didn't see too much change.
01:28But of course everybody's a bit down about the five losses,
01:35but you have to take it and move on.
01:40Ben?
01:47Kevin, can I ask about yourself?
01:49We ask about you to your manager a lot through the season,
01:53obviously you've really had struggles with injury, particularly since that Champions League final you won.
01:58How are you feeling now and will we see the best version of you again this season?
02:06Obviously last year was last year, I came back the second season and I think I did fine.
02:12I played a lot of games, I did what I needed to do and I lost one game last year
02:18in the cup final, so I think it was all right.
02:21When I came back I felt really, really good, the first five games that I played.
02:26Then I had a little thing against Brentford that I thought wasn't really good
02:33and in the end it ended up being way, way worse than I wanted it to be.
02:39I don't know what it's called in English, in my language it's called pubogi.
02:43Basically there's not a lot to see, but I couldn't kick a ball.
02:47I can do a lot of stuff, but I wasn't able to move freely or do what I needed to do to play.
02:57I wanted to, but I couldn't.
03:00In the international break I moved a bit around, saw some people and I'm starting to feel better now.
03:06I'm happy about that.
03:09It's been a frustrating one, but I'm starting to feel better so I'm happy about that.
03:21Are you someone who watches well from the sidelines?
03:24Have you been able to support the team while you've not been playing?
03:28Or has it been more frustrating seeing them not able to win
03:31because you've not been able to contribute?
03:33I think it's a bit of both.
03:35I think I can help them, but in the end you can only do so much from the side.
03:39It's frustrating because I know if I was feeling good I could help the team,
03:47but I wasn't able to do that.
03:49I know I was kind of training, but there's only so much you can control on the side,
03:58so it's not a nice feeling.
04:01They had to do it and they tried, so it's the job that's going and they're fine.
04:11It's the same kind of thing about being on the sidelines,
04:14but while you've been watching the games and involved with the players too,
04:18what's your analysis of what's been happening on the pitch?
04:21Obviously the injuries have had a huge knock-on effect on the team,
04:24but what are the problems that have been caused on the pitch?
04:27Guardiola's talked about the team not being strong or stable.
04:30What's happening?
04:32It seems like we're not really dealing with the moments when it goes bad in a game.
04:38I would say there's been moments also in the Tottenham game
04:41where I think we're doing really well, we're creating the chances,
04:45but I think the main issue at the moment is the ball of boxes.
04:49We're conceding too easily and we're not scoring the goals that we should score.
04:55I think in this run of form we let ourselves down a little bit.
05:04I don't know, not really soft, but a little bit.
05:07We lose a little bit because I don't feel that we played a bad game at the weekend,
05:12but it ends up being 4-0 and you have to accept
05:17that you're not doing something good, what you did in the past,
05:23and you have to try to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
05:28I know both boxes is a very handy way to put it,
05:31because obviously if you're not scoring then you're conceding,
05:34but is it not what's in the middle?
05:36You pick players to keep the ball and to win it back,
05:40but at the moment they're struggling to win it back,
05:43and then they've got to run.
05:45The defence, like you say, people playing with injuries,
05:48they're not fully fit, they're exposed, and that's where the goals are coming from.
05:54I think in the end if you really look at it, you have five chances against Tottenham,
05:59and you concede four.
06:01If you get five chances in a game against a team like Tottenham,
06:04that's not really that bad.
06:07They were huge chances, weren't they?
06:09Yes, that's what I mean.
06:11Yes, the chance is huge.
06:13It's almost basically two tap-ins, with the one for Maddison and Brennan Johnson.
06:18I know in the way that we play you also have to accept
06:22that there's going to be more opportunities for other teams to have a counter,
06:27because you can't do high pressing and not leave space behind.
06:33We know that.
06:35At the moment we are not dealing with this in a good way.
06:40It's always going to happen, we're always going to give a chance away,
06:43because this is the way that we play and we have to accept that.
06:46But now we are giving that away way too many times.
06:50Also, when they're coming in front of our goal, it's basically a goal,
06:55so we have to try and resolve that as quickly as possible.
07:02Kevin?
07:03Just on your own future, obviously you're out of contracts in the summer.
07:07I think you've said to us in this room before that you're the sort of player
07:11that wants to keep playing at the highest level.
07:15What do you see happening?
07:18Can you see yourself staying at the club,
07:20or realistically do you think this is going to be your last season at City?
07:23I honestly don't know.
07:26Obviously when I started the season I knew things would happen and talks would happen,
07:32but then I unfortunately had that thing against Brentford,
07:36so I've put basically everything to the side.
07:39I was hoping to be out for a couple of days and it ended up being eight or nine weeks,
07:44so also for the moment I'd rather still get better to that first and see how I am.
07:53The rest will come, I'm not really too obsessed with things right now.
07:58I know people will ask me questions about this, but there's not a lot I can say,
08:03there's not been a lot of talks, so I'm fine, I'm happy,
08:07I just want to play good football again, and the future we'll see.
08:11You've been such a critical part of the team, one of the world's best players,
08:16so you can understand there's going to be a lot of interest around your future.
08:22I can understand that, but that's based on what I've done in the past
08:28and being here such a long time.
08:32Questions will come, but I can only give you the answers that I'm giving you right now,
08:37because there's nothing really more to talk about.
08:40Talks will come, if no talks come then it's my last year,
08:46so I don't know, I'm trying to be honest and people can say or write about it.
08:51I can't affect that, I just want to play good football and we'll see what the future holds.
08:58Hi, Kevin.
08:59Have the club not instigated talks yet,
09:02are they leaving it up to you to approach them and make your own decision?
09:06No, I had a conversation already in the summer,
09:10but then obviously, like I said, I had the injury,
09:14so I was not in the right frame of mind to speak about that at the time.
09:21I really want to be good and be back where I need to be on the pitch
09:26and be myself again.
09:29There's no rush also, so I don't feel uncomfortable in my situation,
09:35I just want to play football and I'm not really worried.
09:38Can I just ask about the few weeks that you were training
09:41but weren't included in the squad recently?
09:44Can you just talk us through what training was like for you in that period of time?
09:49If you felt that you weren't able to...
09:53I basically trained everything,
09:55but I wasn't...
09:58I don't know if people understand.
10:01Pugolgi, or what it is, is basically your lower abdomen
10:05and everything with the nerves around was creating pain in my groins,
10:10so I couldn't really shoot.
10:12Every time I would shoot the ball, I would get really, really pain.
10:17I was trying to find methods to get better, to get my power back,
10:22but it took a long time to get better.
10:29Actually, it only got better on Friday.
10:32I don't know why the first four days it wasn't really better
10:35and then on Friday it got better.
10:37I can't explain it, I don't know why.
10:41And now the last few days it's been better,
10:44so I'm hoping to get that still going upwards.
10:52Yeah, that's it.
10:55Hi, Kevin. I completely hear what you said about your future,
10:58you just want to play and see where that takes you.
11:01When it comes to the time, will the fact that Pep Guardiola
11:04has signed on for another two years,
11:06will that be a factor in your thinking,
11:08the fact that this great manager will still be here and all the rest of it?
11:11It could be, it could help, because I know what the future holds.
11:18I don't have to speak to Pep about what's happening in the future.
11:23If it would be a new coach,
11:25obviously you need to have a conversation with these people
11:27because you don't know what they want with you.
11:29Maybe even I would have a conversation
11:31if I want to speak about my future with Pep,
11:33because I don't know what he thinks,
11:35and maybe he changes his mind and says,
11:37Kevin, thank you, time to leave.
11:40But there's more an understanding of what is happening.
11:43I know how he works, how he works with the team,
11:48how he works with the players, so that's nothing new to me.
11:52Just with regard to your game, the way you play football, your style,
11:55do you still feel at the very top level you can go on two or three years?
11:59How much longer do you realistically think?
12:02I have no idea.
12:04I can only go based on what I feel,
12:07and I think when I came back in the season I felt good,
12:10I felt I could make a difference at this level,
12:12I can make a difference for this team,
12:14and as long as I feel that,
12:16that's a good indicator that I can still play at the top level.
12:19That's for me the only assurance that I need,
12:22but I have no idea how long that's going to stay.
12:25Kevin, this is your 10th season at the club,
12:28you're obviously very well respected in the senior leadership group.
12:32Do you see as part of your role within that squad now
12:35to go in and talk to people, to your teammates, during these bad runs?
12:40If so, have you done that in the last couple of weeks?
12:45I don't think my role changes anyway.
12:49I've been with that group for seven or eight years now already,
12:52so I was young when I started, I'm older now.
12:57Some people like to speak or want advice,
13:01other people don't really want advice.
13:03I don't feel like this team needs a lot of team talks.
13:09Probably we have about two really, really crisis meetings a year.
13:15So even last year or the year before,
13:18there's always been a point in time where we speak to the team
13:21and some people want to say what the expectations are,
13:26what we need to do or change.
13:28That's, I think, normal.
13:30Whenever we have a great season, that happens also.
13:35We already had a conversation, but that was already way before.
13:39I don't think at this moment in time we need another one.
13:42I think people know what is happening at the moment.
13:47You also have to accept that you lose five times in a row.
13:50It can happen, even if it's not happened to us in a long, long time.
13:57People are good, accept the challenge and move on.
14:02Hello, Kevin.
14:04You speak for a player that has 170 assists with Manchester City,
14:08and you speak of your injury.
14:10But this time for you, mentally, how frustrating has it been
14:14not being able to do what you best do, perform and do those assists,
14:20and be a factor, be a difference in the pitch?
14:23How difficult has it been all this time with injury? Thank you.
14:28I think personally for me this has been the most frustrating one.
14:31Because last year when I had the hamstring,
14:35I know I'm going to be out for five, six months. That's fine.
14:38But now it was... I don't know.
14:41When it happened after Inter, I was basically testing myself
14:44to be able to play for the weekend, and I wasn't able.
14:49I don't know how long it would take me to get better,
14:52and in the end it's taken me a very, very long time.
14:55So it's really frustrating to not know when you're coming back
15:00and why you're getting pain.
15:02Like I said, the scans were not really that bad,
15:05but there's obviously been something that's not right
15:08and you have to deal with.
15:11I'm pleased I'm getting better, but I still need to get better.
15:16I'm doing a lot of stuff to do that.
15:19When I'm back on the pitch I'm happy,
15:22and I'm happy that against Tottenham I could see a difference
15:25than the last two games I came in.
15:27So that's for me the positive.
15:30Hi, Kevin, from NOS, Dutch television.
15:33We know you a bit from Belgium.
15:35If it's against you or it's going the wrong way,
15:38you say where it is.
15:40How do you do that at Manchester City?
15:42If you lose five times in a row, do you take that role?
15:45And how does it work in a dressing room,
15:47at a club that has won everything,
15:49if it's against you like it is now?
15:55I'll stay the same.
15:57I'm not going to change.
15:59The fact that I give my opinion is the fact that I'm in it
16:03with the teams I play for.
16:06I do that in Belgium and here as well.
16:10I give my honest opinion about certain situations,
16:16but I think you also have to look at the perspective
16:20of the whole situation.
16:22I know five losses doesn't look good,
16:25but I understand the situation we've been going through
16:28for the last three weeks.
16:30Before the international break,
16:32with all the players who couldn't play,
16:35but still played.
16:37So you have to appreciate the situation
16:39that you sometimes get into.
16:42I don't want to say it's an excuse,
16:44because it has to be better as a team.
16:47But in the end, there are things that are just not good enough
16:52and a small difference can change the situation
16:56for the next few weeks.
16:58But I'm not that busy right now
17:01with the way the team plays
17:05and how the boys behave.
17:07In the end, we've done more for some people
17:10than they could have done.
17:12So I appreciate that.
17:13But in the end, as I said, it has to be better.
17:15And does Feyenoord have to worry a little?
17:17Because you're still so good that if you lose a few times,
17:20there's always going to be a reaction.
17:23In the end, we haven't been able to do much with Feyenoord yet.
17:27Yesterday was a recovery day after the game.
17:30So that's all going to happen this afternoon.
17:32And tomorrow, of course, with the program we have now,
17:36it's very difficult to prepare for all the teams.
17:40But we'll have a training this afternoon.
17:42Maybe something will be done tactically.
17:44We'll talk about the team anyway.
17:46And it's up to us to give a reaction tomorrow.
17:50Yes, and hopefully we can do that too.
17:54Kevin, ESPN.
17:55Our analyst, who is also in the stadium tomorrow, is Mario Been.
17:59He once had you debut in the Champions League.
18:02What do you know about that time?
18:03And did he teach you a lot?
18:05Of course he taught me a lot.
18:07I was still quite young when I played with him.
18:11And I think in the beginning we were in a difficult situation.
18:15Because the way the previous coach left,
18:18that was neck and neck.
18:22I don't think it was easy.
18:24And I think we had to adjust to the way we played.
18:26Of course we had a different style of play.
18:28But I think the good thing is that when you're young,
18:31you can pick up a lot of different things.
18:34And of course I think that the Dutch school
18:36was a little more adapted.
18:38Playing more football and attacking.
18:41And I remember a lot of games where there were high scores.
18:45So we learned a lot about attacking from him.
18:49And of course he helped me improve as a player.
18:55And a year later I left and made a career.
18:59So that was definitely positive.