It has taken Ilkay Gundogan five seasons but his extraordinary form in Manchester City’s title charge over recent months has sealed his status as one of the first names on Pep Guardiola’s team sheet.
For much of his City career, Gundogan has been seen by many supporters as a spare part, the extra man and sometimes even a cautious option. But the German international has shown this season that he offers far more than just being a second deep-lying midfielder to keep things tight in the big games.
The 30-year-old’s first-half brace against West Bromwich Albion took his goal tally up to seven in the league – already the best return for a single season in his career – with all seven of those goals coming in the last eight matches.
“Gundo is a guy who has an incredible sense of goal,” Guardiola said after his side’s 5-0 win at the Hawthorns.
“It is not just knowing the right time to arrive at the box, it is the right second. This is the most difficult thing. Not to arrive one metre before, or one metre later, but at exactly the right time, and Gundo has this sense.
“And it’s not just that – with his finishing too he has this way to control the ball, slow down and take a second to compose himself and see what happens, and be clinical.”
One of the more impressive elements of Gundogan’s performances this season have been his adaptation to a more advanced role in the City midfield.
He arrived from Borussia Dortmund with a reputation as a defensive midfielder and he performed well in that role in the absence of the injured Fernandinho to help City to the 2018-19 Premier League title.
But there is a lot more to Gundogan’s game than shielding the defence and he has added a creative spark to City’s attack this season, taking responsibility for opening up opposition defences – he was particularly effective against West Brom when fellow creator Kevin de Bruyne was missing through injury.
That positional flexibility, combined with his technical excellence on the ball and an ability to drift into space in the final third, makes Gundogan an extremely versatile option for City as they head into the second half of a season in which they are still in the hunt for all four trophies.
“I just try to be in the right spaces at the right moment,” Gundogan said after the victory over West Brom. “I have played the past few weeks in a bit more offensive role and if I get the chance close to the opponent’s box, then I try to be there and try to take the right decisions.”
Gundogan’s performances have even prompted comparisons with a City legend Yaya Touré, with centre-back Aymeric Laporte making the same point following Tuesday’s win.
However the player himself isn’t so keen on being compared to one of the Premier League’s all-time greats, replying to Laporte: “Thanks for the comparison bro! But we all know Uncle Yaya’s qualities stay unmatched.”
Gundogan and City face a season-defining run over the next six weeks, with league fixtures against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as the start of their Champions League knockout tie against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3agVA26
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