De Bruyne says Van Bommel's Belgium setup suits him better than his Napoli role
The short version
- De Bruyne scored twice in Belgium's 3-0 Nations League win over Vincenzo Montella's Turkey on Friday.
- He says Van Bommel's attacking football with Belgium suits him and that he feels better physically than at Napoli.
- The former Manchester City man has one goal and one assist in five Serie A games for Napoli this season.
- His only Napoli starts have come in matches when Scott McTominay was unavailable.
- Belgium visit France on Monday, October 5 at 2:45 PM EDT at the Stade de France.
After scoring twice in Belgium's 3-0 Nations League win over Turkey, Kevin De Bruyne says Van Bommel's attacking style suits him and that he feels fitter on international duty.
Kevin De Bruyne scored twice in Belgium's 3-0 Nations League victory over a Turkey side coached by Vincenzo Montella on Friday night, and his remarks afterward drew almost as much attention as the goals. Speaking to SportMediaset, he said "Van Bommel's attacking football suits me" and that he is "doing better physically" on international duty. The comments were framed in Italy as a message to Massimiliano Allegri, his head coach at Napoli.
The picture at club level has been more modest. The former Manchester City star has one goal and one assist in five Serie A appearances for Napoli this season, and questions about his role under Allegri have grown as the campaign has unfolded. His output in a Belgium shirt has told a different story.
Press reports have suggested the early goodwill between Allegri and his squad has worn thin, with the coach said to be unsatisfied with several members of his first-team group, De Bruyne included. That has invited comparisons with the end of Antonio Conte's time in charge, which finished with the playmaker speaking out.
De Bruyne said he was happy to see Conte, his previous boss in Naples, leave and that there were "promises made about the way we would be playing, but at the end of the day, not much of it happened." There are now concerns that similar dynamics are beginning to repeat themselves under Allegri.
Read together, his words about Belgium amount to a suggestion that he enjoys his football more with the national team than with his club in Naples. Van Bommel, the Belgium head coach, has built his side's approach around the attacking game that De Bruyne says suits him.
The difference in systems is easy to see. De Bruyne has started all three of Belgium's matches during this international break, usually operating as the furthest-forward midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. Allegri tends to set Napoli up with a flatter midfield three in a 4-3-3, a shape that drops the Belgian into deeper areas and asks him to sacrifice part of his attacking contribution in the final third.
One detail underlines how selective his club role has been this term: De Bruyne's only starts for Napoli have come in matches when Scott McTominay was unavailable, a pattern that has fed the wider scrutiny of Allegri's selections in the opening weeks of the season.
Belgium have played three times in this window, including a Nations League group-phase fixture against France at the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels on September 28, part of the 2026/27 competition. De Bruyne was in the starting lineup that night, as he has been for every one of his country's fixtures over the break.
Belgium, fresh from the win over Turkey, now head for a quick rematch with France. Kickoff is set for 2:45 PM EDT on Monday, October 5, at the Stade de France.
