Belgium Can’t Play Like Man City – De Bruyne Dig Out

Kevin De Bruyne, a midfielder who is focusing on controlling his emotions, acknowledges that he must come to terms with the fact that Belgium is not Manchester City.

The 31-year-old is used to pulling the strings for the Premier League champions, who are expected to cruise past every obstacle in their quest for domestic and European glory. That used to be the case for Belgium during a so-called “Golden Generation,” but now that group’s abilities are waning, De Bruyne has developed the unpleasant habit of criticizing his teammates for ostensibly falling short of his high standards.

When asked about needing to enter the Belgium camp with a new mindset, De Bruyne, who is on duty for the 2022 World Cup, said: “We can’t play like Manchester City does. You must adjust as a national team to the players you are surrounded by. Do I ever become annoyed by it? Yes, but even though that is the perfection I aspire to, I should conceal that more.”

Bruyne elaborated on his impassioned approach after being seen on camera clashing with Toby Alderweireld following Belgium’s 1-0 victory over Canada in their World Cup opener: “I am aware that I don’t always react well. Although I know it’s my way of helping the team perform better and get more out of the game, I also search for moments after the game to rediscover that tranquility. I must, of course, also improve my response time. Sometimes the emotions overflow, but that is also part of the game.”

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Belgium will play again on Sunday against Morocco, and City’s next match will be on December 22 against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, following the conclusion of the world conference in Qatar.

Ineffective Belgium began their World Cup campaign on Wednesday with a scrappy 1-0 victory over a spirited Canada team making their first appearance in the finals in 36 years. Michy Batshuayi scored, and Thibaut Courtois saved a penalty.

Batshuayi led the Belgian attack in the absence of injured talisman Romelu Lukaku, scoring against the run of play just before halftime to put the Red Devils ahead of Morocco and Croatia, who had earlier tied 0-0.

Kevin De Bruyne action pictures against Canada:

Despite winning, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez was not happy with his team’s sluggish performance, as the Red Devils only managed nine efforts on goal compared to 21 for Canada.

The outcome may have been considerably different for second-ranked Belgium if it weren’t for a penalty save by Courtois from Alphonso Davies and the absence of a Canadian goal scorer.