De Bruyne, who seems to tell Vercauteren that he wants to quit the Red Devils, is harsh: “Some things are unacceptable” Captain Kevin De Bruyne (33) has lashed out after the defeat against France. “If you can’t handle the top, you’re not good enough.” In addition, a video is circulating in which ‘KDB’ can be seen apparently saying “I quit!” to Frank Vercauteren several times after the match.
The images of the conversation between De Bruyne and Vercauteren quickly circulated after the match. “I quit!”, ‘KDB' seems to say a few times to the technical director, after which he walks up to Kylian Mbappé.
"If you can’t handle the top, you’re not good enough. And then you have to give everything and some people don’t even do that" - Kevin De Bruyne to VTM
Even when he was accompanied to the media, De Bruyne’s face was still thunderous. His body language said a lot. If not everything. He rubbed his thumb and index finger between his eyes. De Bruyne was annoyed after the match when he had to answer questions for the VTM television camera. The irritations were visible. The defeat against France hit our captain hard. Especially the way in which he did it.
Question: “France was better?”
His answer: “Yes, that’s right. There’s not much to say about it.”
Nevertheless, the Red Devils started well in Lyon. With desire, drive and pressure forward. It led to a few (half) chances. But as so often, it stalled at the opponent's sixteen-meter line. KDB: "We were six at the back. There was no connection. Not even in the second half. You're behind, right?"
He added. "It is what it is."
De Bruyne became more aggressive afterwards when he was asked about the tactics used by the Red Devils. The annoyance visibly increased. "I wonder what you see in the match. It's not about transitions. It's about the way of playing and people who don't do their job." .
Question: "Then explain what needs to be improved."
Answer: "I can't say that here. I said that to the team at half-time. I'm not going to repeat that in the media."
Question: "But what needs to be improved?"
Answer: "It needs to be improved in every way. The standard is the top. If you can't handle the top, you're not good enough. And then you have to give everything on the pitch. Some people don't even do that." The difference in quality with France was big at times. As the only survivor of the Golden Generation - Romelu Lukaku was not present for these international matches -, that is a big adjustment. "I can accept that we are not that good," says De Bruyne. "I am also the first to say that in the past. But other things are unacceptable. I am not going to dwell on it. I did that when I was eighteen at Racing Genk. Now I am 33 and I don't do that anymore."
Casteels and Tedesco react:
These are words that will undoubtedly hit hard in the dressing room of the Red Devils. Goalkeeper Koen Casteels - he was not to blame in Lyon - was confronted with the words of his captain. The goalkeeper reacted calmly. "I heard what he said. I'm going to keep that to myself. But it's perfectly normal for him to say something."
"Kevin is a winner. He was emotional. And then you can sometimes say things like that" - National coach Domenico Tedesco
Domenico Tedesco was also asked about his reaction. "I didn't see the interview. After the huddle (the moment after the match between players and technical staff, ed.) I spoke to Kevin. You know: it's normal for him to be disappointed. We all are. Kevin is a winner. 'A winner'. He was emotional. And then you can sometimes say things like that. Am I afraid that he's going to stop being an international? You shouldn't talk about that now. Everyone needs to calm down."