Kevin de Bruyne

[Tomo 21,733]

A typical ManU supporter? I've been a Chelsea supporter since before Roman when winning any trophy was glorious (hint, look at my profile photo) and have never supported any other team . And having my fandom questioned by someone who clearly cares more about one player and their national team more than they do about Chelsea is patently absurd. I don't require De Bruyne do be sensational every match, I don't require him to be anything. Mourinho clearly requires De Bruyne to be better than he has been to get playing time and he's right. If De Bruyne is such a sensitive soul his confidence is shattered because he gets dropped for a few games, he is never going to make it in football. In football, you need to rise to challenges and on top teams, unless you are the level of Messi, you will always face challenges to your playing time. Every young player on a team like Chelsea will have to earn their playing time. Look at Drogba who saw off every other striker Chelsea bought for years.Look a Terry who looked on his way out but is now the team's #1 choice CB. Why? Because they damn well earned it with their play. And it wasn't like he was dropped. Chelsea just have a lot of options and those options were playing better than De Bruyne. De Bruyne got his chance to play his way back into the side and failed to do so. How is that Mourinho's fault? Chelsea is not around to serve De Bruyne's career. We're around to compete and to win and right now, If Schurrle or Willian or anyone has a better chance of helping Chelsea win, then they should play.

Lampard in 2003 also knew that any bad run of form would have seen him lose his place, but he worked, worked and made sure that it wasn't happening.

That is what the top level of football is all about, it's not a charity, players have to work hard to get there and even harder to stay.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

It's some of the fans making such a fuss, all you read from Kevin in reliable media is that he's working hard on training and that he realises he has to work for his spot here.

Which is the way it should be. He has the talent to make an impact on this club and we will certainly suffer injuries/suspensions at some point which will give him a chance to work his way back up the depth chart to get more playing time.

[LukakutoStamford 779]

He needs game time and if that's not coming then he needs to go elsewhere. I do find hilarious that he's being slated because he's not on form having played a few games on a new side in a more difficult league with a new league.

It's not possible that he might need a run of games to find his form ....

The problem is that he brings a dimension that none of the other AMs bring at nearly the same level and that's crossing.

So while Chelsea might be winning games now there will come a time where the box will packed an inability cross with accuracy will cost Chelsea games.

But hey I'm sure Chelsea will continue to get goalkeeping gaffes each match for game winners.

[ChelseasMessiah 304]

He needs game time and if that's not coming then he needs to go elsewhere. I do find hilarious that he's being slated because he's not on form having played a few games on a new side in a more difficult league with a new league.

It's not possible that he might need a run of games to find his form ....

The problem is that he brings a dimension that none of the other AMs bring at nearly the same level and that's crossing.

So while Chelsea might be winning games now there will come a time where the box will packed an inability cross with accuracy will cost Chelsea games.

But hey I'm sure Chelsea will continue to get goalkeeping gaffes each match for game winners.

I say that's complete bollocks. Oscar, Willian, Mata and Hazard are very good crossers, but that's not a very valuable skill to have in our system given that Mourinho himself said a few weeks ago that because of the way we play, crossing is almost pointless. Unless we're talking about dead balls where our tall lads pack the box, but then Mata and Lampard tend to be excellent at those.

[JDY 1,290]

No, Luiz has been very poor in the league but he's been quite good in other competitions so overall he's been OK

Again I feel you are being too harsh. Against Everton he was average, post 20 minutes vs. Spurs (when everyone was under the cosh) he was good, and against Norwich he was good. We all know what happened vs. Cardiff. His situation in that match wasn't helped when Mata did a needless turn and got caught leading to Luiz's yellow making it difficult for the rest of the match (given the type of CB he is). Very poor is very harsh in my opinion.

Nobody is using statistics as a bible, but if a player who plays a position that is very stat-friendly is near the bottom of the team every single game, they've just been bad and I don't even see how you can debate it. The big issue with these sorts of stats is that they tend to reward offensive players. You can be a great reader of the game and a great defensive player but not get great scores so yes, it's hard to judge someone like Ashley Cole statistically because he doesn't get any of the offensive statistics that really add up your score. In other words, defensive players are hurt more by statistical analysis and De Bruyne is a terrible defensive player. (In his 5 games, De Bruyne has 3 tackles, 0 interceptions, has been dribbled by an opponent at least once, and has committed 4 fouls. That's atrocious). Players like De Bruyne should be getting overrated by statistics, not underrated.

I only say that because whenever I see you judging a player's performance after a match you've used whoscored 90% of the time to make your point. There's no problem looking and comparing the stats, but it's their rating system that is often flawed.

De Bruyne has been bad this year and has been IMO pretty easily our worst player.

I don't think many will disagree that he's been our worst player. But being the worst player doesn't necessarily mean that you've been performing terribly, just that he's been very average while the others have been better.

He still has a bright future and it may only take one game or two to turn things around, but 1) he has to earn it and he has done the opposite. [1]He doesn't deserve to play just because you want him to. It's not Mourinho that has let De Bruyne down, it's his own poor play [2] people need to stop pretending he has been anything other than poor so far.

1. I don't think I've said once that he should or deserves to play. I was at the game when he made his debut vs. Hull and on the way home I was surprised that he was named MOTM. He doesn't deserve nor should he play based on how he's performed, especially now with our other attacking mids doing well.

2. Fair enough if you think that but just because someone disagrees it doesn't mean that only you are right and anyone who disagrees is just pretending or being dishonest.

Anyway, as people have said I think a loan would be better for him rather than staying and fighting for his place, but it's obviously good to see the likes of Cesar, Juan, and Kevin coming out & saying they will fight for their places.

[Fernando 6,484]

Like I said it's a simple case of hyping up a player. KDB did good in the past and we go just by that. And we have seen it a lot through out the years. Kakuta, and Josh are just but a few examples that promised a lot and have fail to delivered.

KDB has been average and not that great to what schurrle and Willian have been doing.

That being said, unless the guy gets a fire in his ass and start kicking ass he will be at most a backup to our other main attacking midfielders.

[Blue Armour 4,312]

What some people seem to forget, is that Mourinho and Holland are assessing DeBruyne's situation more than anyone on this forum.

If he isn't getting enough game time until January, due to strong performances by other squad members, he will go out on loan again. Simple.

You have to remember Kevin is not an established player yet. He's young, has time on his side and can wait for his chance with the Chelsea team. If not, then certainly for another club.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

Mou should've had his back after the United game. One very good performance against Hull, one bad performance against United. A young kid, full of talent, new to the club, disgrace to drop him like that. He's received the worst of treatments by Mourinho. Some people claim that it will benefit his career one day, but I'm not one of them. Boy's been crushed, utter shame really.

What about the back of the 5 other Chelsea players seeking the same spot as Kevin. He was below average against united which opened up a chance for other players to come into the team, they did well and kept their spot. Kevin was given a chance to regain his spot but he was just awful vs Swindon so he remained on the bench, then he was given another chances and while he was better, I don't think he showed nearly enough to be starting tomorrow.

Bottom line is, all the players were given more or less the same amount of opportunities at the start of the season and those who have done better have kept their places. That's how team selection works.

[Rmpr 8,977]

What about the back of the 5 other Chelsea players seeking the same spot as Kevin. He was below average against united which opened up a chance for other players to come into the team, they did well and kept their spot. Kevin was given a chance to regain his spot but he was just awful vs Swindon so he remained on the bench, then he was given another chances and while he was better, I don't think he showed nearly enough to be starting tomorrow.

Bottom line is, all the players were given more or less the same amount of opportunities at the start of the season and those who have done better have kept their places. That's how team selection works.

And that is what happens when you have 6 capable players for 3 starting spot.

[sutro 1,026]

2012/2013: we badly need more squad depth!!!!

2013/2014: we have way to much squad depth!!!

Not so long ago most of us were crying to get kdb back asap from bremen, or how things change sooooo fast in football ;-)

[CHOULO19 24,332]

And that is what happens when you have 6 capable players for 3 starting spot.

It was obvious from the start that Willian's signing was going to create selection problems and leave one player unhappy.

[Sheva. 5,373]

He needs game time and if that's not coming then he needs to go elsewhere. I do find hilarious that he's being slated because he's not on form having played a few games on a new side in a more difficult league with a new league.

It's not possible that he might need a run of games to find his form ....

The problem is that he brings a dimension that none of the other AMs bring at nearly the same level and that's crossing.

So while Chelsea might be winning games now there will come a time where the box will packed an inability cross with accuracy will cost Chelsea games.

But hey I'm sure Chelsea will continue to get goalkeeping gaffes each match for game winners.

Obvious you're not a Chelsea fan, but Mourinho specifically told players to limit crossing because we have only 1 person in the box. So crossing definitely does not help KDB's cause.

And your last line is just fanboyish bitterness.

[Stingray 9,441]

The bipolar, extremist, unnuanced thinking is really off the chart in this thread. I am unfollowing and i am belgian. Go figure.

[zolayes 14,489]

last year we bemoaned the lack of depth in our squad and managers unable to deal with the problem ... this year the moan is about TOO many quality players

and it seems some lack faith in our present managers ability to handle them ...

It never rains but what it pours ,,,,

[Stingray 9,441]

last year we bemoaned the lack of depth in our squad and managers unable to deal with the problem ... this year the moan is about TOO many quality players

and it seems some lack faith in our present managers ability to handle them ...

It never rains but what it pours ,,,,

True .... patience is crucial. This isn't a sprint but a marathon, one I hope we win with our entire (beautiful) squad.

[OneMoSalah 8,785]

Mou should've had his back after the United game. One very good performance against Hull, one bad performance against United. A young kid, full of talent, new to the club, disgrace to drop him like that. He's received the worst of treatments by Mourinho. Some people claim that it will benefit his career one day, but I'm not one of them. Boy's been crushed, utter shame really.

"Disgrace to drop him like that" and "recieved the worse treatment from Jose"? What about dropping your best player who has carried your team for 2 years and telling him he doesn't do enough? Calling him selfish also?

You just seem annoyed because hes a Belgian international and he might not get games for Belgium since Jose isn't playing him over better players than him as opposed to his Chelsea career by the sounds of it. I'm not saying thats true but thats what it looks like.

Jose is a better coach than anyone Kevin has had in his career, he will make him a better player, no doubt about it. Trust him, like he did with Mata at the start. Ultimately hes becoming better, contributing defensively as well as offensively. Will be the same with Kevin, also a bit of competition should be pushing the player to better themselves.

[Henrique 9,133]

Your judgment is far too harsh.

Not every talent shines in every game, so the strict approach your using is meaningless, it takes time. No matter what you think we still have the luxury of giving De Bruyne time, their is still a full season to be played.

If De Bruyne was playing utter dog shite and I mean Torres style, then I would consider what you said valid, but I don't think he's been anywhere near as bad as you've said. It's took him time to settle sure, but it was the exact same thing with Schurrle.

Come on dude. Football is about feelings, and its clear that this kid won't make it at Chelsea. He is the belgian Kakuta. In a squad that Mata (the best player in the past season) is fighting for his place, and with Schurlle and Willian around, the only possibility for him is playing as a full back, but we know thats not going to happen.

We all know Mourinho, so KDB wont have the time you think he needs to prove himself. You said there is still a full season to be played, that might be true, but KDB will play in Capital Cup and FA Cup games. Facing fierce competition in PL, Mourinho will play the best he has at his disposal, and that means that KDB is only the 6th choice to play in the mid, where we have 3 slots available.

He played in the first games of the season, them Mourinho dropped him. Since then, when he played he was as awful as hell.

[Roquila 1,335]

Cut the Belgian guys some slack, if KDB were from Kosovo you would have me all over the place and twice as annoying as anybody.