Exactly, you can see that extra yard of pace. He looks leaner, fitter and has never scored this many goals in his career. He is not the player of old
100% nail on the headI’m not buying the “same Gundogan” talk. He looks, feels, acts and plays like a different player. Sure he may have had a lot of these traits @ Dortmund in his locker - running with the ball, getting at players, not pulling out of challenges, playing with supreme knowledge of his abilities but he has never really showed them for various reasons. Confidence, fitness, positionally, personnel, whatever.
I genuinely think he’s been a disappointment. It’s been years of mostly 5-7 out of 10s.
This Gundogan feels remarkably different and I’m delighted to be able to say that, for him especially as he’s had to take a lot of shit, and the team. And hold my hands up that I never thought I’d see this.
Not really, people that criticised his slow play and lack of goals had valid points and he wasn't the player he is at the moment. Even allowing for perhaps a more forward role he is playing , he is sharper, never looked as quick and never scored as many as he has at the moment. Anyone that hasn't seen the step change in his performance needs to take off the rose coloured spectacles. I was a critic of his play, always maintained he was a closer , not a starter and his goal record was too low. Happy to say he is a lot better than he was. Perhaps he read some of his bad press?He has made a lot of people's opinions look rather silly.
Amazing what confidence does, he is full of it at the moment. He has always done the basics very well, even when he was harangued from pillar to post on here, the basics were always there, but as Gaz Baz said last night and he would know, he is a very unappreciated footballer. The team will appreciate him far more than the fans will because they know what he adds to the team.
And that my friend is why you're not a manager.Gundogan doesn't press shit. He can't run. He's hopeless at tracking runners and can't tackle.
People assume because he plods around the centre circle, he must automatically be better defensively than Bernado Silva for example. He isn't.
Bernado presses better, runs more, is more aggressive. The only thing Gundogan does better is stand still and play it square. No wonder his pass completion is so high, he slows everything down and completely stifles our tempo by constantly going backwards and square.
And out of possession, he's arguably our worst player.
No,he was shocking for a long while,stealing a living.
The criticism was deserved,just as the praise is now.