Pep Guardiola has challenged Kevin De Bruyne to deliver “the best game of his life” against Inter on Saturday Manchester City bidding to win their first Champions League delight. Talking to Thierry Henry in an interview that airs on CBS and Paramount+ Ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final, Guardiola praised his star midfielder and joked that he cannot understand his star playmaker’s vision, a player without whom he says City would not have enjoyed the huge success they have enjoyed in recent years achieved.
“He is a special person, so sensitive and reliable in many things,” said Guardiola. “What we’ve done over many seasons would be impossible without him.
De Bruyne is in excellent form for City in a season that saw them win the Premier League and FA Cup; Guardiola’s side are now one game away from becoming the second England team to win the Treble. In 47 appearances in all competitions this season, the 31-year-old has scored 10 goals and 31 assists.
“I told Kevin, be angry, be upset, scream. Sometimes when he’s flat, sometimes, on the field, you have to put on a bad face. Sometimes he’s too nice, so nice, a nice, nice guy. If a boy thinks more about giving assists than scoring goals that means how generous you are he is happy about giving assists and [leaving] the compliments to the others.
“He doesn’t have any media highlights? It’s okay, he’s happy. It’s just that sometimes I say ‘come on Kevin, show me. Show me in the Champions League final how good you are, how important you are. the best game of your life on that day.'”
De Bruyne’s relationship with Guardiola has certainly had flashpoints over the last seven years, most notably when television cameras caught the Belgian telling his coach to “shut up” during last month’s 4-0 win over City in the Champions’ semi-final second leg League. Speaking earlier this week, he rejected any suggestion of serious tension between him and his boss. “I think that occasionally more is made of players or trainers who say something. It is never personal,” said De Bruyne. “In the end, everyone always wants to get the best out of each other.”
Be sure to catch the full interview on the CBS Sports UEFA Champions League Pre-Match Show and don’t miss wall-to-wall coverage of Europe’s biggest game of the season on CBS and Paramount+ platforms.
Saturday’s broadcast schedule
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