Coach Pep Guardiola expressed regret when he let midfielder Ilkay Gundogan leave Man City and join Barcelona last summer.
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Man City is experiencing a not so successful season so far. Pep Guardiola ‘s team has been eliminated from the Champions League and has no chance to repeat the magical treble like they did last season. However, “The Citizens” are still facing the opportunity to win a double title when they have reached the FA Cup final and are in control of the Premier League championship race.
The reason for Man City’s somewhat declining performance probably comes from their lack of a versatile midfielder in both defense and attack. This comes from the fact that Ilkay Gundogan left when Man City’s board of directors was not too interested in extending the contract with the German midfielder. Meanwhile, the names brought in to replace such as Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes are not as effective as what Gundogan showed before.
Recently, according to Mundo Derportivo, coach Pep Guardiola expressed extreme regret for not making more efforts to extend the contract with Ilkay Gundogan, which is completely different from what Pep did with Bernardo Silva when he tried. to extend the contract with the Portuguese player and prevent interest from other teams.
Gundogan was Pep Guardiola’s first recruit when he arrived at Man City, and was also one of the team’s later captains. Guardiola has always been a fan of Gundogan because it is not easy to find a player who can bring similar qualities to the midfield during this period. Neither Mateo Kovacic nor Matheus Nunes, players with different styles, could fill the gaps in the midfield, even though they were the signings that “The Citizens” brought in during the summer transfer window. recently to strengthen the midfield area.
During his time with Man City, the responsibility for the midfield area was originally shared by Gundogan with Kevin De Bruyne, but now that the German midfielder has left, it falls completely on the Belgian player’s shoulders. De Bruyne has done a good job, but this shows the importance of Gundogan and makes things a lot easier.
In his first season playing for Barca, Gundogan played a total of 44 matches, scored 5 goals and contributed 12 assists to his teammates. Even though he is 33 years old, the importance of the Turkish-born midfielder is still undeniable when playing in any shirt.