Kevin De Bruyne on return to Stamford Bridge, facing Chelsea: "I have nothing to prove"

After a disappointing time with Chelsea, Kevin De Bruyne returns to Stamford Bridge -- with nothing to prove.

The Belgian playmaker, enjoying his best football at Manchester City since returning from injury, will visit his former club on Saturday in a huge Premier League match. De Bruyne was a promising player at Chelsea, but was never given any real opportunities to shine. After great years in the Bundesliga he has returned to England, and his performances have shown that Chelsea's decision to let him go was not a smart one.

One would think De Bruyne would be looking forward to facing the London Blues and showing everyone at Stamford Bridge that they made a mistake and prove how good he is. But for the player himself, that is not really a motivation.

"I don’t feel I have to prove anything to anyone because there’s nothing really to say – it’s not a case of I played a lot and played badly - I just didn’t play. It is it what it is and I’m just going there to try and help City win the game which is really important for us.

"If we want to put pressure on the teams around us, it’s obviously better to take three points so maybe that will work in our favour because there’s no pressure on Chelsea to win now. It should be a great game, but we know how hard it will be because it’s a tough ground to go to."

Source: MCFC

After dominating the Premier League last season, the defending champions have been nothing short of a disappointment, and their mediocre campaign is far away from the expectations of what they could do. That doesn't mean Chelsea are suddenly bad. For De Bruyne, this is just one of those years.

"They are still a top side and they will be back next season. They are having a year like Borussia Dortmund did last season. They have had a difficult campaign and sometimes that happens.

"You can’t win the title every year and there’s no guarantee of finishing in the top four each season – it’s a case of putting behind you and coming back the next year and I’m certain they’ll do that."

Since returning from a knee injury, De Bruyne has played amazing football, perhaps above expectations after a three-month layoff. The level of his performances has surprised Kevin, who hopes to build momentum as we reach the home stretch of the season.

"I didn’t know what to expect to be fair, but the first four games have been almost perfect because we’ve won three out of four games and gone through to the Champions League semi-final. It’s been a good return so far."