Kevin De Bruyne: 'Belgium cannot use Manchester City tactical blueprint'

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 24 March 2018

De Bruyne: 'Belgium cannot use Man City tactics'

Kevin De Bruyne is adamant that Manchester City's tactical blueprint would not work for Belgium in another apparent dig at coach Roberto Martinez.

Kevin De Bruyne has claimed that Manchester City's tactical blueprint would not work for Belgium.

The Citizens have had a superb season so far, having won the EFL Cup and being on the verge of the Premier League title, while the Champions League remains up for grabs.

De Bruyne criticised coach Roberto Martinez in November following Belgium's 3-3 draw with Mexico, suggesting that the Red Devils had "no good system tactically".

When asked ahead of Belgium's friendly with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday whether Man City's tactics could be adopted by Martinez at national level, De Bruyne responded in the negative.

"That is almost impossible," the 26-year-old is quoted by the Manchester Evening News as saying. "First, the coach has his own ideas. Secondly, the players must be able to execute the system.

"Every Red Devil plays in his club in a different system. And thirdly, at City we have time to sharpen our game system. At the Devils we have one or two weeks to train. That is too little. We have to create our own system.

"The guidelines must be clear, so that everyone is pointing in the same direction - so that I do not walk forward and another person backwards. It is up to the coach to put things in order. I am confident that he can."

Belgium have been drawn in a group alongside England, Panama and Tunisia for this summer's World Cup in Russia.