Pep Guardiola says Manchester City need Kevin De Bruyne for more than just his goals and assists.
De Bruyne scored the only goal of the game as the Blues beat Leicester at the King Power to move to the stop of the Premier League table. The Belgian had also scored a terrific goal against Brighton last week, only for Guardiola to come out afterwards and demand more from his star playmaker.
City's manager was delighted with De Bruyne at Leicester, not just for his unstoppable set-piece but the overall performance that added to the talents of goals and assists that he can do 'blindly'. While Guardiola knows he is being demanding, he believes it is his job to keep pushing De Bruyne.
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"Kevin can do assists and free-kicks. We know that," he said.
"But he is a player who needs his dynamic. He stays more in the position that is not his top. His top is he has the freedom rather than staying in the freedom to go right or move into the box.
"When he moves and gets the ball here, there and there and behind the ball and come, he's not like Bernardo [Silva] who can get the ball into feet and do this kind of thing.
"Kevin needs movements. He has to get the ball in movement, not stopping or being quiet in one position. And today he is back, he was there. It's not that he can't do it - we have had seven seasons together, we have done everything except sleep together. I know him quite well.
"Nothing is going to change my opinion of him, what he has done for this club but I have the duty in this club to say I want more. We need this Kevin. Against Brighton he scored a fantastic goal but it is not enough because he can do goals and assists blind but we need this type of involvement in the game. Involve, involve, involve. Today was the case."
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