Ex-Chelsea stars claim Kevin de Bruyne was such a ‘bad trainer’ he sparked a fight in training
It seems almost unthinkable given the kind of consummate professional he is today, but apparently Kev wasn't always a favourite around the training pitch.
He might be one of the best players in the Premier League if not the world at present, but ex-pros John Obi Mikel and John Terry have insisted they never could have predicted that Kevin de Bruyne would have turned into the player he did — in fact, they went so far as to label him a “bad trainer”.
The Chelsea legends made the rather bold claim on a recent episode of retired midfielder Mikel’s self-styled YouTube show, The Obi One Podcast, when the two were discussing if they ever foresaw the likes of de Bruyne and Mohammed Salah going on to become the incredible athletes they have.
In short, both of them had a simple answer: no; but it was details surrounding what Man City‘s star man was like back in the day when he first arrived on British shores.
As they they remember, not only did they not see “enough” for the Belgian baller in those early years to suggest he would progress the way he has but they even argued he was “a bad trainer” at the time, with Terry arguing he could have gone easier on the young players that Chelsea began sweeping up.
Agreeing with his assessment, Mikel said: “Definitely not, but it wasn’t just you JT, when you look back then and look at their levels, I think Kevin De Bruyne wasn’t the best trainer back then.
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“He was somebody that comes to training and probably because he wasn’t playing that much, always [had his] head down, always angry and sulking. He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him.”
Mikel then went on to recount an altercation between him and another former star, Samuel Eto’o, describing how the Cameroonian “had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because [De Bruyne] wasn’t putting in the effort… so they had a massive row on the pitch.”
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All we can think of is that “Let Me Talk!” clip now…
The pair did go on to hold their hands up and recognise that being a young player is one thing and learning how to be a pro is another, adding, “Credit to them they’ve gone away and they’ve done what they had to do to become who they are, they’re superstars.”
Nevertheless, Mikel did go on to remark: “When I watch Kevin De Bruyne today I’m like, ‘Is this the same guy?!'”. As for Terry, he wondered if his discipline as captain may have been too much and perhaps “they needed an arm around the shoulder” instead to help them settle in.
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Either way, Blues won’t mind one bit as after a two-club spell in Germany, City signed the then-promising 24-year-old from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2015 and now eight years later have a truly generational talent who would walk into any team and should be back in action following his injury early next year.
You can see the full discussion between John Obi Mikel and John Terry down below:
Featured Image — The Obi One Podcast (via YouTube)/Kevin de Bruyne (via Instagram)
Sport
Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
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Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri set for another loan spell
Danny Jones
Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri is set for another loan deal this January following a disappointing time in Germany.
The South American youth product has spent the first half of this season out on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, but has struggled not only to make an impact but even to enjoy any real steady playing time.
Following reports earlier this month by The Athletic‘s Seb Stafford-Bloor that announced Echeverri’s loan would return to his Man City, it appears as though all parties concerned haven’t exactly gotten what they want out of the deal.
With that in mind, not only has his short-term agreement been cut short, but Echeverri is now set to join another City Football Group (CFG) club on a temporary contract, where he can crucially be assured more regular minutes.
As confirmed by the ever ubiquitous transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, Claudio Echeverri is now set to join Girona temporarily from the Premier League side.
Romano writes that “the Argentinian talent leaves Bayer Leverkusen after loan deal interrupted — as Echeverri was not playing.”
Stating that the 19-year-old will officially become a Girona FC player from 1 January onwards, he will no doubt provide some much-needed offensive firepower for the struggling Spanish side, with the Catalan club currently lingering in the La Liga relegation zone.
Following a somewhat reverse pattern of fellow forward, Savinho (who was signed by the French CFG franchise arm, Troyes, before being loaned to Girona and eventually bought by Man City), the attack-minded player remains a highly-rated youth prospect but has yet to fully announce himself.
He scored the first goal for his parent club back in June; it’s fair to say it was a bit of a corker…
Fast forward to now, though, and Echeverri will spend at least until next June representing Girona – no doubt dropping straight into the starting lineup as soon as possible.
At the moment, there is no suggestion of any permanent clause included in the agreement, but either way, ‘El Diablito’ is still a CFG asset, at the end of the day.
With that in mind, we’re sure they’ll move him around the sporting network however they see fit in search of a breakout spell.
Do you think it’s a good move for the young starlet, or would you like to see him back in Manchester, fighting his way into matchday squads?
Danny Jones -
1st November 2023 
