Ilkay Gundogan has been an unassuming presence at Man City, quietly becoming a vital cog in the Pep Guardiola machine.
The German has been at the club for five years and is already a three-time Premier League champion.
AFP
But it has been the 2020/21 season where he has really come to the fore, particularly in spells where Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne have been injured.
Remarkably, he is the club’s top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions. It’s remarkable because he has never really been considered much of a goalscorer.
While Ruben Dias, Phil Foden and De Bruyne will garner much of the talk ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday against Chelsea, it is Gundogan who has been one of the real stars this term.
Getty
Man City top scorers 2020/21
Ilkay Gundogan – 17
Phil Foden – 16
Raheem Sterling – 14
Riyad Mahrez – 14
Gabriel Jesus – 14
Ferran Torres – 13
Kevin De Bruyne – 10
Sergio Aguero – 6
Bernardo Silva – 5
John Stones – 5
It is a match that he is not completely unfamiliar with having lost the Champions League final against Bayern Munich while playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2013.
He is the only member of the Man City playing squad who has played in a game of this magnitude before, and his experience may just be vital.
And 2013 is no doubt a year that sticks in the mind of the 30-year-old as it could well have been the last year he played in football.
A mystery back problem left the midfielder fearing for his career.
Speaking to The Guardian of the injury struggles that stunted his progress that year, he said: “I was out for 14 months but the worst part was that no one really knew what kind of injury it was.
“I saw a surgeon and he wanted to put a big screw in my back which would not allow me to play football at that level. So I was scared of not playing again and I’m really grateful I found the right [surgeon].
“Of course I still have to deal with issues but I’m feeling well enough.”
Getty
Fortunately, he was able to make a recovery and was such an important presence in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield at the Bundesliga club.
But a goalscorer he was not. He scored 15 times in 157 appearances for Dortmund as Klopp used him as a defensive midfielder.
Gundogan’s former coach Michael Oenning revealed he used to have arguments with the now-Liverpool boss about his best position.
“For me, Ilkay is and was a no.10. I often argued with Jurgen Klopp about his best position, but he made him into one of the best defensive midfielders,” Oenning told Goal.
When Klopp left Dortmund in 2015, Gundogan was prepared to head for the exit as well before Thomas Tuchel convinced him to stay. The man who just so happens to be leading their Champions League opponents.
Getty
“I didn’t expect much when it was announced he [Tuchel] was going to be the new manager at Dortmund, I was in talks to leave the club but I had one phone call with him, he presented himself to me when I was on holiday,” Gundogan said ahead of the Champions League final.
“It was a really good call and he explained a few things and everything he said he proved during the season. I was surprised how well he was working with the team, how well known he was in terms of tactics. He taught me a lot.
“He is a great manager and now he is able to prove it in the best league in the world. He did so well with Chelsea and managed to get them into the Champions League. That proves he is a great manager. He is a really good guy.”
Getty
A year later, he left for Man City for a mere £21million. 2020/21 has been a vintage year for Gundogan, where he picked up consecutive Premier League player of the month awards in January and February.
He goes into Saturday’s game, which is live on talkSPORT, hoping to capture a trophy that has so far eluded both him and City.
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3vvbcby
via IFTTT
No Comment