Gundogan proving Man City's MVP in pursuit of historic treble
If this is, as has been reported, to be Ilkay Gundogan's final season at Manchester City, then he is bowing out in style. Reports of a free switch to Barcelona continue to do the rounds with the 32-year-old out of contract at the Etihad Stadium next month. Nevertheless, Gundogan is continuing to prove his worth for Pep Guardiola's side with the club competing on three fronts.
City are seeking to replicate Manchester United's 1998/99 treble-winning season where Sir Alex Ferguson's side won the Premier League, defeated Newcastle in the FA Cup final and left it late to beat Bayern Munich at Camp Nou to write their name into the history books. 24 years later, and City are within touching distance of emulating their city rivals, with Gundogan proving the driving force in pursuit of domestic and continential glory.
Gundogan netted both goals in City's 2-1 win over Leeds last weekend, though his penalty miss played its part in a nervy finish at the Etihad Stadium, and turned provider for Kevin De Bruyne's sweet strike in the Champions League first leg 1-1 draw at Real Madrid. On Sunday, the German broke Everton's resolve on City's way to eventual 3-0 win at Goodison Park, and followed up his strike with the assist for Erling Haaland's first and the Cityzens' second before rounding off the victory with a sublime second half-free kick.
Gundogan has now been directly involved in 12 league goals this season. Five of those have come in his last two league appearances. The former Borussia Dortmund man is coming up clutch in the key weeks of the season. With all the focus on key attacking pair Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne in City's pursuit of glory, it's Gundogan's consistency that means this City machine is continuing to tick over and maintain that psychological edge over Arsenal in the title race. It's no surprise Guardiola is keen to see the central midfielder remain the club beyond the summer.
For the most part, City play against teams that will sit deep, play compact football with the aim to frustrate opponents, and Everton were no different on Sunday. For the opening 35 minutes, this approach worked. Up until Gundogan's moment of brilliance, City had mustered just one shot on target, a low Rodri drive that Jordan Pickford gathered up easily. Additionally, striker Haaland had mustered just two touches of the ball, one to win a header in his own box midway through the first half, the second an unsuccessful touch that resulted in a loss of possession with the Norwegian goal machine isolated as the Toffees backline successfully nullified the Premier League's top scorer.
In these instances, then, Gundogan's role in the City side becomes all the more important. He is adept at finding space between the lines to help open up angles in the opposition defence, just as he did superbly on Merseyside. His first was a goal expected of a striker of Haaland's ilk, yet Gundogan, with his back to goal, controlled Riyad Mahrez's cross and calmly slotted past Pickford. With Haaland struggling, the City skipper took it upon himself to drag the league leaders ahead. His cross for Haaland two minutes later was inch-perfect. Suddenly Everton's solid gameplan was smashed to pieces as the champions-elect did what they do best - find a way to win, and this is best exemplified by Gundogan in the closing stages of the campaign.
What has been equally as impressive as Gundogan's ability to break the low black has been the versatility to his midfield game that means he can play any number of roles in the middle of the park. Need to rest Kevin De Bruyne? Play Gundogan behind the striker. Need to rest Rodri? Have the German drop deeper to set the tempo, as he did so well against Leeds. It was touch and go against Sam Allardyce's side late on, in part due to Gundogan's penalty miss, but he was able to dictate the play prior to his late withdrawal.
Gundogan made 171 accurate passes against Leeds, a record in a Premier League match this season, and 41 more than the Whites as a team managed at the Etihad Stadium. Averages of 1.1 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League this season show how effective he can be at winning the ball for a Manchester City side that boasts a 65.3% possession average, the highest across Europe's top five leagues this season.
This is another key reason behind Guardiola's drive to keep Gundogan at the Etihad Stadium. In a number of midfield roles, he carries out the required duties to the highest standard, and his experience means he knows the right time to come in clutch in City's relentless pursuit of silverware. Sunday's 3-0 win at Everton means City have won all but two of their last 18 matches in all competitions, drawing the other two away from home in the Champions League. They have won all 15 home matches in 2023, which bodes well with the welcome of Real Madrid in midweek and Chelsea on Sunday, where they can wrap up the Premier League title.
As has so often the case at this stage of the season, City are an unstoppable machine, and the psychological edge this can have over opponents is telling, Arsenal this season a case in point. This is epitomised best by Gundogan, who is helping to keep City ticking over in their quest to secure the treble.
