France shook off a sluggish start to their Nations League campaign to overcome Belgium with a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele. The Red Devils appeared disjointed and lacked coherence in their play with De Bruyne visibly frustrated throughout the match, as the team struggled to create meaningful goal-scoring opportunities against the French defence.

After the game, De Bruyne didn't hold back in his assessment of his team's performance. Speaking to Belgian broadcaster VTM, the 33-year-old midfielder expressed his disappointment and said: "I can't say here what went wrong. I already did that to the team at half-time. I cannot repeat that in the media, but it has to be better in every way. If the standard we want to reach is the best, but we're no longer good enough to get to that level, then you have to give everything. If you don't even do that, it's over."

Belgium's "Golden Generation," once considered one of the most talented groups of players in world football, have struggled to build on the promise of their third-place showing at the 2018 World Cup, but that is not De Bruyne's main gripe.

"I can accept that we're not as good as in 2018," the Manchester City star said. "I was the first to see that, but other things are unacceptable. I'm not going to say what."

De Bruyne also criticised Belgium’s tactical setup, suggesting that the team’s style of play is hindering their ability to perform at their best.

"We are too many at the back. If you stay with six at the back, there is no connection," he reasoned. "It is what it is. It is not about transition, but about people who do not perform their tasks."

After a disappointing end to the international break, De Bruyne will be eager to return to winning ways when he takes to the field with Manchester City on Saturday against Brentford in the Premier League.