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
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
1st November 2023 
