Kevin De Bruyne described the inner sanctum of Manchester City’s training ground as chaotic during a month that threatened to derail their season and watched him fail to hit a football without shooting pain through his stomach.
In choppy waters, City need a win against Feyenoord on Tuesday night, not just for their Champions League campaign but for the general mood at a place that is dealing with five straight defeats, their worst run since Stuart Pearce thought it was a good idea to push David James forward. .
De Bruyne is indicative of their problems, having played just 38 minutes since mid-September. The groin injury suffered against Brentford did not seem particularly worrying – De Bruyne started in a goalless draw against Inter four days later – but ultimately kept him out for two months. He’s been training for almost four weeks, but still doesn’t trust his body to show up on game days.
“Every time I would shoot the ball I would get real, real pain,” De Bruyne said. ‘Anything with the nerves around it caused pain in my groin. I tried to find methods to get better, to regain my strength, but it took a long time. It just got better on Friday, I don’t know why, I can’t explain it.’
They have undoubtedly missed the 33-year-old, who will need to be handled with care by Pep Guardiola. De Bruyne was steadfast in telling City he was not fit enough to play for any length of time, but watched others go through the pain after defeats at Brighton and Bournemouth.
The physio room has been a revolving door and it is only now that City are starting to welcome a proper squad, even if Rodri’s deputy, Mateo Kovacic, has been absent for weeks. That creates even more problems to solve and City were too easy for Tottenham to continue playing this weekend.
Kevin De Bruyne spoke to the media on the eve of Manchester City’s match against Feyenoord
De Bruyne, pictured (right) training on Monday, was able to make his first start since September
De Bruyne’s playing time has been significantly reduced this season due to a painful groin injury
“It was a bit chaotic, I saw so many people walking around in the medical sector,” De Bruyne added.
“To see who’s playing and who’s not, people who shouldn’t be playing but did with an injury, these games we were everywhere. Everyone is a bit sad, but we have to move on.’
There are two things that will haunt Guardiola’s dreams at the moment: of course the recession and how to stop an alarming decline in results, but also the long-term rebuilding. Does De Bruyne, who expired this summer, play a role in this? He has started just 19 of the 50 league games since winning the Treble.
Guardiola told how the Belgian – who skipped international duty this month – will decide whether he still feels capable of operating at his best. City appear to be leaving the decision in the hands of their talisman, who confirmed no talks have taken place over an extension, with interest from MLS rumbling in the background. “There is no rush, I don’t feel uncomfortable,” De Bruyne said.
However, City are feeling uneasy and De Bruyne, who watched much of the campaign, has noticed the trend of not reacting to setbacks. Guardiola disputed that suggestion after Tottenham’s 4-0 deficit, but he is known for publicly backing his players to the hilt.
Yet he honestly admitted that, by City’s mountainous standards, this could be a bad season. And a warning came to his players not to just give Liverpool the Premier League title.
“That’s where we come from,” he said, pointing to the sky. ‘So we can only go down if we lose. It’s fun. I think we deserve some patience when we lose games. It won’t be a big mess.
‘You are defending a legacy, tradition, success and that is so difficult to deal with. If we don’t do it, try to concentrate on short periods and win the next games. What I want is the commitment from players to still do what we need to do. We congratulate the team that takes our crown because they deserve it, not because we give it to them.”
Many City players are still injured, including star midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri
Without Rodri, City have lost their last five games in a row, including two against Tottenham
City boss Pep Guardiola also addressed the media at the press conference in Manchester on Monday
In recent weeks, Guardiola has become more expressive. On Friday, for Tottenham, he leaned menacingly over his desk and watched this excited flurry of movement in the same chair on Monday. He will not back down, he will double down.
‘What should I change? If I changed in the first season when I was asked to change, we might not win six Premier Leagues in seven years. The desire is there to change and we are going to try.
‘One good result can change our minds. It’s unusual, yes. We won a lot. We think, but in this situation we need to go back more directly to our principles. Don’t even think about changing much, less than ever.
“When we won, I always thought: This Too Shall Pass and now: This Too Shall Pass. In life, nothing lasts forever.”