De Bruyne can't hide the frustration city suffered two years ago when they lost to bottom-of-the-line Ligue 1 side Lyon in the Champions League. "A different year, the same thing," he responded honestly after Lisbon's shocking quarter-final defeat. It is the latest in a series of tragic departures and misfortunes in which City have come to storm the path to Europe's highest honours. The refereeing controversy against Liverpool due to away goals scores, the loss to Real Madrid in the semi-finals and their failure to threaten their opponents in their 1-0 loss were disappointing. Last year was City's closest year to the title, with they all the way to the final and in the final they met Chelsea, who were 19 points behind them in the league. But even more painfully, De Bruyne was forced to leave the field early due to a fractured nose and eye socket and a concussion, and finally the Blue Moon lost 0-1 to the opponent.
Many of City's legends – such as Aguero, David Silva and Kompany – have left the club without a Champions League title and De Bruyne, who turned 31 in June, is giving his all to ensure he does not repeat the mistakes of his predecessors. As a core member of Belgium's golden generation, De Bruyne helped his national team occupy the world number one position for a long time, but failed to win the trophy of the international competition, which he deserved to win one of the main honors. Now at Manchester City, he leads the team in a treble and the Champions League trophy remains the club's most desired trophy.
Guardiola visited Spain in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals as City narrowly led Atletico Madrid with a goal from De Bruyne in the first leg. City's manager is grateful to have such a player who can bring a difference of creativity, especially against the tactically conservative Diego Simeone, who has lined his team up in an already notorious 5-5-0 formation with few dangerous attacks at the Etihad Stadium. Premier League champions performed slightly better, although they at least showed creativity, and when Phil Foden created the best chance, De Bruyne beat Oblak. Last weekend, his goal in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool was his sixth in six games. In the absence of a full-fledged striker, De Bruyne – usually a player who gives chances to his teammates – has stepped forward and made an important contribution to the team.
Guardiola said last weekend: "I like that he is a player who not only has more assists, but also more points. I told him he had to score more goals to get to the next stage. He scored a lot of goals, created a lot of chances and he knows it's so difficult to be in his position against Liverpool because they squeeze the space small enough. His vision of the final pass is outstanding. He did struggle for a long time in the first half of the season because of injuries in the Champions League final and the European Championship. ”
Guardiola believes de Bruyne has returned to his highest level, while also acknowledging that it is a standard. From the opening goal of the fifth minute to the shocking second pass of the 94th minute, Which gave Mahrez a chance to beat Liverpool, his full strength was shown. With incredible passing range, confident leadership and amazing productivity, De Bruyne was the protagonist in a match between two of England's best clubs, possibly the best two teams in Europe, with the possibility of meeting in the Champions League final in Paris. He told reporters after the game: "If a team can play in their own style, it will be a good game and Liverpool are here to play the way they play, so that's why they've always been good. ”
Liverpool are open-ended, attacking football, but it's much harder to find the same space in the face of such a disciplined Atletico team, as Spain's defending champions are a tough bone to gnaw on and both sides need to be careful with the game. De Bruyne is looking forward to a different race at the passionate Wanda Met, though Simeone may not want to take too much risk. "Some of the games are tough – against Atletico you have to face a defensive wall and it's not the best game," he said. "There's nothing we can do about it. I think it's going to be a little nervous at first. Looking at the score now, if you keep that form, the opponent has to change, but I don't think it's the same game. ”
The subsequent matchup against Liverpool in saturday's FA Cup semi-final will be the third of four consecutive pivotal matches. De Bruyne is no stranger to the Devils fixture schedule, but he admits it was tough in early this season as he injured his ankle during the European Cup and has now recovered. He's thrown himself into the race as always – he fell to the ground tired early this year after a tough win against Arsenal. But he was ready for the final sprint. "Even if you want to, you don't have time to think about it," he added. "Monday is recovery day, Tuesday we head to Madrid and so do the cups. Consider the season is nearing its end, but you don't have time. That's probably a good thing because you just kick, kick, kick, and then we'll see what's going on. "There's no time off – otherwise there wouldn't have been a chance to win the first Champions League.