Kevin de Bruyne

[Tomo 21,751]

The question is though are we willing to wait for him or will we just end up buying another CM? The latter seems more likely.

Bertrand is proof that you will find a way eventually if you are good enough, patient and have the right mentality.

[Hamilton 2,120]

Commenting to Belgian tv Kevin is saying he enjoy's Bremen and that people are starting to recognize him on the streets.

I'm feeling great at Werder and in the City. Everybody is a fan over here and people are starting to recognize me. I'm being used as a link-up between defence and attack and i like playing in this role. Untill now i played every game, that was the intention and just like Chelsea wanted it. They follow me close as i get a phonecall almost every week."

[EskWeston 696]

I think it was the right move to send him on loan to Bremen, he is playing and playing well. He needed a bridge between Genk and us, playing at a higher level and on a regular basis and that is what he is doing. He is a talent and i have no doubt that he will make it with us, he just needs to be brought along a little like with Lukaku.

[Madmax 9,219]

Kevin de Bruyne is one of the bigger names on the unusually large list of names currently spending time on loan from Chelsea at other clubs. We had a bit of a look at De Bruyne's game when he played an unusual false nine role in the opening game of the season, and with the 21 year old having enjoyed a fantastic game against Stuttgart last Saturday, I thought it would be an appropriate time to have a closer look at exactly what De Bruyne has been doing.

If you take a look at the image on the left, you'll get a good idea of the structure that Bremen was playing. For the match against Stuttgart, Werder Bremen manager Thomas Schaaf elected to play De Bruyne in the same central midfield role that the Belgian had occupied for the game against Hamburg, a game in which De Bruyne had opened his scoring account in Germany. On the whole, De Bruyne looks far more comfortable here than he ever did in the false nine role, as this is a similar position to what De Bruyne played for Genk towards the tail end of the season. Partnered with the attack-minded Aaron Hunt, this is a proactive approach for De Bruyne, and the defensive midfielder - Zlatko Junuzovic here, but Philipp Bargfrede was selected last week - is left to cover the defence on his own. Junuzovic did a particularly manful job of it here, and he was assisted by the discipline of his wide attackers, Eljero Elia and Marko Arnautovic, who dropped deep, often dropping into line with Junuzovic. De Bruyne and Hunt lead the pressing, taking turns to move forward and assist Nils Petersen in closing down the man in possession.

In this regard, De Bruyne is highly aggressive, extremely willing to break out of the defensive shape and lead the pressing (a role similar to that of which Ramires adopted for Chelsea last season under Andre Villas-Boas). Sometimes this was effective, but he needs to be cleverer in his decision making: often, the two wide players hadn't got into position, and space would open up for Stuttgart down the flank.

De Bruyne displays a similar aggressiveness in attack, actively seeking to get into central attacking positions, close to Petersen. He is a very direct attacker, preferring to pass rather than shoot: this was especially evident when he went for an ambitious chip from forty yards out, and failed.

However, this particular trait did not let him down when it came to the opening Werder Bremen goal. De Bruyne started the move, collecting the ball from a defensive position near his own penalty area, and continued his positive run down the centre of the park. He showed excellent awareness of where his markers were with a cleverly cushioned touch, before driving into space and unleashing a powerful shot. The goal was well taken, but his alertness and pass to launch the counterattack was particularly eye-catching, and in a Chelsea squad seemingly designed for powerful transitions, he would fit in well. On a broader note, De Bruyne's excellence in this role would see him suit a Chelsea 4-3-3 well, as a position in the double pivot of 4-2-3-1 would expose his occasionally poor defensive positioning.

The ability to launch these quick transitions was continually evident throughout the second half. In the forty-eighth minute, De Bruyne intercepted the ball calmly and played a series of one-twos with his defenders, before surging into space on the left flank and collecting a long pass from Sokratis. It was a fantastic piece of counterattacking play, even without a goal to show for it. Another example was his splendid diagonal ball to Elia midway through the half, which switched the angle of attack and caught the Stuttgart defence unawares.

For all these exhilarating positives, De Bruyne still has much to work on. He displayed some poor decision-making, and there was often a pocket of space to be found in the space between him and his holding midfielder. All the same, he was one of, if not the best players on the pitch, and if his progress continues in a similar upward spiral then he will certainly be a new piece for Chelsea's jigsaw when he returns next season.

Good stuff from WAGNH.

[ja1 1,166]

For the person saying he can't play in a midfield two - he saw his best form for Genk there.

[Beigl 1,387]

He´s playing currently against Freiburg,again decent in the first minutes.

[Beigl 1,387]

Kevin with an assist which gives Bremen the lead.

[zolayes 14,489]

Kevin with an assist which gives Bremen the lead.

thanks for the info ... good to see a loan working out

[Beigl 1,387]

thanks for the info ... good to see a loan working out

That wasn´t even the only good game from him.He scored at the weekend against VFB Stuttgart and some Werder Bremen fans are sad that he´s only there on loan.

[zolayes 14,489]

That wasn´t even the only good game from him.He scored at the weekend against VFB Stuttgart and some Werder Bremen fans are sad that he´s only there on loan.

I like kdb but it depends how marin and moses do ...it might be hard for him to get starts next year ... seems strange when you think how short

we have been for right wingers in the last few years

[Beigl 1,387]

I like kdb but it depends how marin and moses do ...it might be hard for him to get starts next year ... seems strange when you think how short

we have been for right wingers in the last few years

The best thing about him is,that he is very versatile.He can play on either wings or give the playmaker and even in central midfield.If he improves in Germany and work hard in training he could one day play regulary at Chelsea,Kevin has the ability to do that i think.

[zolayes 14,489]

The best thing about him is,that he is very versatile.He can play on either wings or give the playmaker and even in central midfield.If he improves in Germany and work hard in training he could one day play regulary at Chelsea,Kevin has the ability to do that i think.

I really hope he is with us next year, would be happy to see the Belgium four together

[Atholy 1,293]

His subtile pass that led to the winning goal at 1.02mins:

[Kojo 4,676]

The reason why i know he will make it, is because he seems to have this great flair. Great shot on him, great passing, crossing and all sorts, i don't care if it's the belgium league, an 18-19 year old doing that shit in the league is just crazy.

In pre season you could tell he was class, he just overhit things but he picked them out to begin with, he will make it, just like Lukaku will.

[Tomo 21,751]

The reason why i know he will make it, is because he seems to have this great flair. Great shot on him, great passing, crossing and all sorts, i don't care if it's the belgium league, an 18-19 year old doing that shit in the league is just crazy.

In pre season you could tell he was class, he just overhit things but he picked them out to begin with, he will make it, just like Lukaku will.

Its crazy to think that if their loans continue to go to plan, we effectively have our first two summer 2013 signing's already.

On another note it does my nut in when people say "its only that league they have to prove themself's higher up" fair enough if its like Croatian Division 3 but some even say that with Serie A and the Bundesliga these days, its ridiculous.