Kevin De Bruyne already knew Napoli well thanks to fellow Belgian Dries Mertens and Manchester City were “completely different” to facing Stoke City.
The Premier League leaders thrashed Stoke 7-2 at the weekend, but fought hard to get the better of Napoli 2-1 on Tuesday night.
Kevin De Bruyne already knew Napoli well thanks to fellow Belgian Dries Mertens and Manchester City were “completely different” to facing Stoke City.
The Premier League leaders thrashed Stoke 7-2 at the weekend, but fought hard to get the better of Napoli 2-1 on Tuesday night.
“It’s the Champions League, they are top of the Italian League, so I know them and I’ve watched a few games because of Dries, so I knew it was going to be tough,” the Belgium international told reporters in the mixed zone.
“We saw against Shakhtar Donetsk as well, it’s totally different to playing against Stoke. They like to play football the way we do, so I think we handled it well as a team and I am very happy with our performance.
“Ederson is great, he kept us in control of the game by stopping the penalty, but also by passing the ball around he helped us stay in control.
“It is much easier for me with the team playing like this, as everywhere there are runners and everyone is setting a high standard. I have to do the thing that I do. In football there are highs and lows, we have to keep it in the middle. I just enjoy football, I put a lot of passion into the game.”
De Bruyne was booked for dissent and as the half-time whistle blew, he was dragged away from confronting the referee by teammate David Silva.
“We had a little discussion at half-time, it happens, after a minute it was all over. It happens at home too, I get into some arguments with my wife, I think it’s necessary, but sometimes it’s useful to exchange a few words.”