‘Working us out is not the same as stopping us’
KEVIN DE BRUYNE believes Manchester City’s opponents may have moved a step closer to figuring out Pep Guardiola’s tactics this season.
But the midfield star has warned challengers both at home and abroad that their new-found knowledge may not stop City increasing their trophy haul.
Two prolonged spells on the sidelines with two separate knee injuries have afforded the Belgium midfielder an objective viewpoint from which to assess City’s battle on four fronts.
And ahead of their Champions League last-16 first leg against Schalke here tonight, De Bruyne offered hope with one hand before taking it away with the other.
He said: “In the league we have lost a few more but we are still fighting on all fronts. Other teams figure out what we do a bit better. They have better squads where we just added one player.
“If teams do different things, we must try something else as openings come in a different way. We try to adapt and dominate games, sometimes in games that are more difficult we try to win in another way.
“The way we play is always going to be the same with Pep, but we’ve a lot of points and are still setting a high standard. It maybe not the same as last year but maybe we’ll win more titles.
“If we win three titles we will have done better than last year and titles are the most important thing.”
De Bruyne has missed 24 games as knee injuries have disrupted his season. But after returning to City’s starting line-up on Boxing Day, he believes he is approaching the rhythm he had during their recordbreaking campaign last season.
He said: “I don’t know if I feel fresher but sometimes it’s nice to feel a flow and just keep going, which was what happened last season.
“It’s been difficult because six months out is a long time but I’m feeling better and better.” One of the players to have taken advantage of De Bruyne’s absence to cement his place in the City squad squad is Bernardo Silva, and Guardiola paid tribute to his on and off-field attributes yesterday.
The City boss said: “He never makes a bad face. He’s the guy in the locker room who is most loved. He is very talented. I am a lucky guy to have Bernardo in my hands, in every training session and every game. I love him. Simple as that.”
The theory that City could not have had the last-16 draw fall better had it been performed behind closed doors at the Etihad will be tested tonight. But on the evidence of Schalke’s season, not too strongly.
Since qualifying from their group in second place behind Porto, Schalke have won just two of their past 10 league games. In contrast Guardiola’s side have won 12 of their last 13 games, losing one and scoring 49 goals in that run, conceding only six.
Schalke striker Guido Burgstaller, who is set to return after an injury lay-off, sounded defiant not confident yesterday as he said. “The best team at the moment in Europe is coming, but we won’t raise the white flag.”
Manager Domenico Tedesco struck a slightly more upbeat tone, saying: “There is nothing like a knockout match in the Champions League against a team that is one of the best in the world.
“We aren’t the favourites and Manchester City are a very strong team so we’ll need a red-letter day and have to give it our all but we’ve worked a lot to be able to play such a game and have fun.”
City will aim to put the tie to bed with a characteristic early blitz in order to put a foot in the quarterfinals for the second year running. But De Bruyne insisted the focus did not even extend that far. Talk of ‘the quadruple’ continues to be cut off at source.
De Bruyne said: “The goal is not to win the four comps, the goal is to win every game and the further you progress, you want to win the next game. On Sunday we can win the Carabao Cup but you cannot say at the beginning we are going to win four.
“We are happy with where we are but we want to progress to the quarter-finals here and be closer to winning it – but to win all four is nearly impossible.”