Kevin De Bruyne has started a needless battle at Man City

Oh, Kevin De Bruyne.

It's what the Manchester City vice-captain hears at the Etihad multiple times during a match as fans serenade one of the best players they have ever seen. And it's what plenty of supporters ended up sighing when they saw what he had said after the West Ham game.

Asked about how the West Ham goal had affected the crowd, he responded: "Yeah but I don't know why. I can understand that we are not up to the level but they should support us. They know the effort is there 100 per cent and we were still winning 4-1 so I don't understand why it's happening. It's not like [West Ham] created a lot of chances either."

If the mood felt nervous inside the ground, it certainly wasn't helped by the sight of Pep Guardiola on the touchline spending most of the final 30 minutes either on his haunches or with his head in his hands. This was in relation to what was happening on the pitch rather than in the stands because City had gone to pieces.

In the last home game, what should have been a comfortable win over Everton ended with the visitors blowing an 'unacceptable' breakaway in injury time to steal all three points. Before that, the worst United side in Premier League history won despite trailing in the 89th minute; before that, De Bruyne was one of three substitutes to come on against Feyenoord with 15 minutes to go and see a 3-0 lead turn into a draw.

City fans are agitated because they are seeing the same warning signs on the pitch that have seen the team drop so many points in the last few months. Guardiola certainly did not sugarcoat the performance afterwards, so should he be taken to task because he also 'knows the effort is there'?

De Bruyne also risks opening the wider can of worms that is the general atmosphere at the Etihad. The Belgian played at Leicester last week where he witnessed one of the best away ends there will be all season as City fans sang throughout their 2-0 win - including when there were wobbles at 0-0 and 1-0.

Home crowds are always going to be less hardcore than away followings because of the numbers involved, and the increase in football tourism at City with the club's success and the arrival of Erling Haaland has brought an additional challenge for the atmosphere; it is an issue many clubs are having to grapple with, so City are not alone yet it is certainly felt among Blues.

It is easy to question fans, but somebody as intelligent as De Bruyne should know the complexity of the topic and the responsibility that the people who pay his wages - the chairman, the CEO and other executives - have when he speaks on it. The comments section on the MEN piece are not flattering to De Bruyne and 1894, the fan group responsible for leading atmosphere at the Etihad, have already posted on social media to ask him: "Why are you even asking this question Kev? How can you not understand the obvious!"

City fans will always love De Bruyne as well as the rest of the squad that have given them memories they never thought possible over the last 10 years. But with the challenges the playmaker and his teammates are facing at the moment, they can do without needlessly upsetting those supporters who really have backed the club though thick and thin.

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