Every Word: Kevin De Bruyne’s pre-RB Leipzig press conference

Kevin De Bruyne has addressed the media ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 decider against RB Leipzig this week.

The Premier League champions come into Tuesday night’s clash with a 1-1 scoreline carried over from the first-leg in Saxony last month, after a Riyad Mahrez opener was cancelled out by a Josko Gvardiol header in the second-half.

Since then, City have continued in a rich vein of form, pursuing Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table with high intensity, with just five points separating the two teams and another meeting coming next month.

With an FA Cup tie against Burnley at the weekend, that could see Manchester City book their spot at Wembley Stadium once again, Pep Guardiola’s players will have to be at the peak of their powers throughout the course of the coming days.

Ahead of the first of two matches that could decide Manchester City’s fate on the trophy front this season, Kevin De Bruyne has been speaking to the media on a number of topics including the idea that he is now ‘an old man’, the Champions League trophy, and his own personal season.

Here is every word from the Belgian midfielder at the City Football Academy on Monday afternoon!

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On RB Leipzig

“It’ll be a tough game, Leipzig are tough. We played them last year, I saw them, they’re doing really well. (I’m expecting a) high energy game, it will be tough. If you want to win the Champions League, you must be the best team in Europe. We’ve been in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, but not done the end bit. We’ll try like every year.”

On Manchester City’s form

“It’s been fine this year, the Premier League has changed a bit. The lower teams are able to spend more money and buy better players, all teams have so much quality. The level of difficulty is getting tougher. We are second (in the table), in three competitions. In comparison with other years, I feel not different. There are some games we should have won, it depends.”

On whether this is the best Manchester City team he has played in

“I don’t know. How can you compare the team of seven years ago to this? I’ve been lucky, there are different players. How can I compare the season with 100 points, to winning four domestic titles. It makes no sense. I’m happy and lucky I’ve been there to do this stuff. Hopefully we can do the same with this team.”

On whether winning the Champions League will make this the best Manchester City team

“No. I don’t see it that way. If we just win the Champions League and nothing else, you can call the best in Europe, but I don’t know. What are the criteria for being the best team in the league? Everyone has their own opinion, we want to be the best every year. Eight years has been pretty great.”

On finding Erling Haaland’s runs

“It’s a bit of everything. It’s not more different than the beginning (of the season), it’s people are more anticipating his runs. There’s always the first half and second half of the season, teams are more organised, they play for more. People are more prepared. Maybe he was prolific when he got the chances, but we don’t need to complain about him in anyway. He’s fine, if you see Palace, he had two or three chances, there’s no issue. People are always anticipating him to score two or three goals, his average is a goal a game. Seems fine to me.”

On what defines the best Manchester City team

“I don’t judge it or think about it. You can’t compare any eras anyway. Different football, pitches, intensity. Everything has changed. I feel happy playing and happy I don’t have to debate these things. It’s a big talking point for a lot of people.”

On whether he is sick of talking about the Champions League

“If you care about the noise. We’ve not won it, but we’ve done really well. People base everything on only winning. There’s a lot of circumstances; the (Real) Madrid game, Tottenham, we deserved to go through. Moments in games, these things happen. I want to win it, but I know as long as we don’t, I’ll get the same questions. If people judge you on that, we just try and win the games, be the best version we can be.”

On being ‘an old man’ – how long left in football?

“I didn’t say that. I said I’m an old man in this game, I’m not an old man. I’m sorry with you guys (journalists), but I feel pretty young in this area – no offence. I know how it works, when people talk about you, you notice these things a lot more. People talk about form, how you play, it’s give or take. I know how to manage. I don’t know how long I’ve got left, as long as I’m having fun I’ll keep on playing. There will come a day, I don’t know when.”

On whether there will be regret at not winning the Champions League

“I don’t regret the things I do. Whatever competition, I try to win. You lose more than you win. I’ve won a lot, I’m fortunate.”

On whether Manchester City’s style is counter-intuitive to finding Erling Haaland

“Yes and no, sometimes it’s good to have different options. In the last few years, we don’t have the presence in the box, now people say the opposite. At the start of the season, winning lots of games, nothing going wrong. Lose a few points, it’s different. I don’t feel any issue, nothing going out of the team. People outside will judge, maybe we play a brand of football in other years, but other games, Palace at home, he won us the game. The team is really happy, he’s happy playing with us, we’re fine.”

On whether there is a future for him in holding midfield

“I’m not going to be fully the same. In 17/18, I played more holding. For the national team, I played five years more holding. I’ve no idea. People say when you get older, you go lower. For me, it’s the opposite. I’ve been low, left, right. I change less now, it’s the coaches decision. I will never be a Fernandinho, he’s an unbelievable number six.”

On his future

“I’m a perfectionist. Whatever I do in football, normal life, I want to be 100%. If the time comes… I want to think of, it’s not necessarily important now. If I think about it right now, I want to stay as high as possible for as long as possible. It’s not only my decision. Something to think about.”

On RB Leipzig

“The risk to underestimate isn’t big. We’ve played them three times, we know what team it is. High in energy, quality, intensity. The Red Bull DNA, players in the middle, aggressive. They make it a tough game. I played against them with Wolfsburg, pretty similar. The quality is always there. They took a step from second division to top four and Champions League. You can’t do this without quality. I’m very aware of what threats they have. Hopefully we manage that tomorrow.”