By Daily Sports on November 14, 2017

It was a surprise for some reasons when Manchester City striker Kevin De Bryune openly criticised his country Belgium’s performance in a recent friendly match against Mexico.

De Bryune was displeased with what he saw as a laborious 3-3 draw at home in Brussels against the North Americans and was not happy by his country’s seeming over-focus on a defensive style of football.

The midfielder said about national team coach Roberto Martinez’s approach to the game: “Mexico were just tactically better.

“Their system made our five defenders sit deep and we were swimming in midfield – it was five against seven.

“We still put too much [emphasis] on our talents. As long as we don’t have a good tactical system, we will have difficulties against countries like Mexico. It’s a pity that we have not yet found a solution.

“Of course we play with a system that is in principle very defensive, but it is filled with many attacking players who want the ball.

“Then you have a bit of a problem, like against Mexico. It was a match in which we had very little possession and everyone in a system that doesn’t really fit.

“We now know that something must be changed against such teams. But, eventually, Martinez decides. I think the trainer has to find a solution so that we can avoid such situations as against Mexico in the future.”

It’s an interesting observation and underscores what many experts of the game are thinking.  Too many times,  teams rely simply on the individual brilliance of players to win games. They try to simplify their tactics and just hope that the players will use their skills to triumph. But there is a big need to work on tactics and seriously too. The individual qualities of the players must be taken into cognizance and any tactical approach must acknowledge this.

Martinez has no doubts about the quality of De Bruyne, and told ESPN FC that the 26-year-old could reach the level of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But De Bruyne played down any comparisons with the two stars who have dominated the Ballon d’Or award for the last nine years.

“I don’t care. I really don’t care,” he told Sky Sports. “People compare too many players with each other, you have too many good players in the world.

“In the end, I will only win individual awards if I win something with City.

“I try to play the way I am playing at the moment, and obviously the way we [City] are playing is very positive.

“Everybody is in the same spirit. We want to play the football that we play.”

Source Daily Sports

Posted November 14, 2017

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