Kevin De Bruyne inspires Pro League top scorer and Union rival Abou Koita: ‘I could have scored ten’

What feeling do you get when you see yourself at the top of the scorers’ rankings?

“It is especially good after the first two more complicated years in Sint-Truiden. It’s surprising but not so much when you look at how we play and the qualities of the group and coach Thorsten Fink. He wants to play football and that opens up opportunities for me to strike. ,

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Can you finish the season as top scorer?

“I will try my best to fulfill it. I don’t understand why this would be impossible. I have opportunities in every match; so why not. ,

Do you have any goals in mind?

“Yes, but I keep it to myself. ,

Is it over fifteen?

(he is laughing) “Nice try but I’m not saying anything. ,

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Do you feel the difference in attention?

“Yes, but I will be very frank, it doesn’t matter to me. I am a very down to earth person. Even if I have scored 100 goals; I will not brag. ,

Have you already been surveyed by other clubs?

“I leave it to my agent. I am focused on my season. I’m in the middle of a marathon and I have to maintain my momentum till the end. ,

Do you have a favorite goal from the start of the season?

“I really liked my left shot against Standard. After this, scoring a hat-trick against Genk in the Limburg derby is very special. ,

How do you explain the difference between your silence last season and your current success in front of goal?

“Last season, the style of play (Editor’s note: From coach Bernd Hollerbach) Was very different, more defensive. Then, I move one step up and play as a side. I am in a better position to score. Coach Fink explained to me what he expected from me and that the framework was a good fit for me. I have already grown a lot since he arrived. But I still need to do better in my team play, in my passing and even in my finishing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy with what’s going on but I know I need to do better. ,

Have you changed anything on a personal level?

“No, nothing really. I have two children, I have a wife, I am a stable guy by nature. ,

Maybe your kids don’t wake you up at night anymore?

“I’m lucky, they’ve been sleeping well since the beginning (laughing), I believe this difference cannot be explained by me. ,

The data says you are very efficient with seven goals for only 3.5 expected…

“I could have put ten…”

Yes, but scoring twice as many goals as the statistics predict proves great efficiency…

“Okay, I see, it’s great (laughing), I also think this is due to the fact that I hit a lot from away, which reduces my chances of scoring according to the data. ,

In fact, six of your seven goals are long shots. Do you find it easier to be in a position ahead of the goal?

“That’s somewhat typical of me but I think in this case it’s circumstantial. Let me explain this from my past. As a child, I used to play at the Agora in Antwerp. On this type of terrain, you don’t ask yourself any questions: you shoot. “It’s a very natural, natural thing that has developed into my game.”

Isn’t it also a question of the first touch of the ball? Looking at your shots since the beginning of the season, we have seen that you have put yourself in good positions to shoot very easily…

“I try to analyze my situation and find the easiest way so that I don’t have to eliminate more than one person before I attack. At first, I used to play around with the technical gestures a bit more; I tried to dribble two, three, four opponents before shooting (laughing), My situation also makes me less compelled to try to pass. Logically, I am facing only one man. ,

You have tried your luck on goal 40 times this season. No one can shoot better than you in the pro league. Do you see yourself as an opportunist?

“Yes, in the sense that I know I hit well and it would be foolish not to take advantage of that. I wouldn’t start playing otherwise. And the coach follows my path. ,

This may disappoint your colleagues…

“Yes and I know that in some moments I could have given a pass instead of kicking. I do it more. ,

Your image of a free kick impressed us. You get speed by placing your foot flat in front of the ball and you hit it that way. Is your typing technique specific?

“I see what stage you are talking about. Besides, I knocked very softly (laughing), Contact with the ball is made by flattening the inside of the foot, causing it to fall very quickly even with strong traction. I also know how to roll up and pull with power, but my favorite technique is flat foot. ,

This is somewhat similar to what Cristiano Ronaldo does…

(he shouts) “Ronaldo has more influence than me. My technique is close to Gareth Bale, David Luiz and Kevin De Bruyne. ,

How did you develop this technology?

“I especially watched videos of De Bruyne. Then I worked. in la ghent (Editor’s note: Where he played seven matches in 2018), I worked on my shots with Jean-Luc Dompe and Birger Verstraete after training. I gradually mastered this technique and I can shoot as if from the whole game. This is special because you have to position the knee in a strange way. I think a lot of people would get hurt if they tried. (laughing), Some teammates asked me to explain it to them and they said, ‘But it doesn’t work, it hurts the knee.’ (laughing), But I think you just need to practice. And maybe a little natural flexibility. ,

And how can you explain that the right-handed player scores more points with the left (four) than with the right (three)?

“I’m right-handed and yet sometimes I feel like I hit harder with the left hand than with the right. I worked on my left foot and it also allowed me to be more unpredictable for my defender. ,