Ilkay Gundogan - 2017/18 performances

[Manchester_lalala]

So, what should have been done by Silva and Sane? I mean, they are both top end starters. Not to mention Aguero... Shouldn't they have been reaping Wigan apart?

I see a guy get open, get shots off, make himself available but didn't get 2 easy tap in passes. Passed the ball well, and defended well. Nothing about his game was particularly poor.

He’s the scapegoat when we don’t win, I’ve seen indications for months now. He wasn’t anywhere near our worst performer last night.

 

[Mr HJ]

Sergio has almost 200 goals for the club and is one of our best ever players. He might be coming towards the end of his time with us but when he walks away nobody will ever be able to question his contribution to Manchester City. When Gundogan leaves, he will do so with some winners medals and a pat on the back but nobody will ever talk about him as being instrumental in our success. He is a decent squad player, who will chip in with a few goals but ultimately he is a least one or two steps below the quality of Silva and KDB.

Not a slight over Sergio by any means - I love him and he's quite rightly heralded as the best striker we've ever had - I feel privileged to have seen him in his prime - more of a comment over the under valuing by some of Gundogan. I agree he'll probably never get to the status of others but bear in mind he's had so many injuries it's bound to effect him. I think injury free he's right up there with some of the best in the world. What many of us have seen is him being a little hesitant in his game due to his injury record. I just hope he has a spell without now to show what he really can do.

 

[Andrew___K]

Overally I think Gundogan is doing fine, at least better than I expected, considering all his health issues.
Just for the perspective, he's going to be 4th choice eight next season if I'm getting it right - I think Bernardo will take his current place in the pecking order. That's insane depth, and there's always Foden as 5th option. Gundo's only problem is that he's not as influental as KdB and Dinho, but measuring a rotational player against them is unfair.

The Wigan game was lost due to forward line, not midfield or defence, just like the Burnley one. It's not really surprising, as only one member of the 'big game' forward trio was present, coming after injury. What was missing is strikers' good movement in the final 3rd.

As for the 'lack of control' from IG, I think when Silva is on the pitch, he acts like a more 'strategic' passer, leaving the role of space-opener to another mid (KdB or Gundogan). I guess Gundogan did exactly what Pep ordered him, i.e. roamed forward, supporting strikers. Personally, I'm quite happy with his impact and have more questions to Stones (at least in his current form), Aguero and Danilo.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

So, what should have been done by Silva and Sane? I mean, they are both top end starters. Not to mention Aguero... Shouldn't they have been reaping Wigan apart?

I see a guy get open, get shots off, make himself available but didn't get 2 easy tap in passes. Passed the ball well, and defended well. Nothing about his game was particularly poor.

apart from missing 7 chances. Dave and Sane have just come back from absences, they had poor games but Gundogan has been playing every game and has to take the lead in that position, I'm just disappointed because I know there's another level to him that we're not seeing, and it's frustrating considering how valuable that slot is in our squad.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Gundogan has been a good back up to Silva since Christmas. No player can replace what Silva brings to the team, Gundogan gets unfairly criticised for this I think. Gundogan has just scored two goals in a champions league knockout game, two very good goals. He’s doing just fine for us at the minute, he has an off game like all the team do and he gets labelled as a myth and not good enough. Madness.

It's not what I've said, anyway. I'm not asking him to replace Dave, I'm asking him to bring the level out of his game that Dave brings out of his on a much more regular basis. A great game against Basel, so back it up against Wigan, a much weaker opposition. You can have off-games absolutely, but this side at this level they have to be an "off-game", not a "couple of good games and a couple of poor ones", that's the difference between 1 trophy and 3/4. I hope he bounces back into a rich vein of form that keeps Dave out of the side. My feeling is he'll now be back on the bench bar rotation.

 

[Dax777]

apart from missing 7 chances. Dave and Sane have just come back from absences, they had poor games but Gundogan has been playing every game and has to take the lead in that position, I'm just disappointed because I know there's another level to him that we're not seeing, and it's frustrating considering how valuable that slot is in our squad.

Again, he didn't miss 7 chances. He took 7 shots. There is a difference. 2 were saved, one was the tight corner shot that went slightly over the bar, 2 got blocked, and 2 went wide.

Only 2 of those 7 we're legitimate chances. But if you want to rest your hat on that, fine!

People say he wasn't involved, yet he was one of the 4 players with 100 or more touches. Completed 90% of his passes, 2 of 3 through balls, 2 of 3 attempted key passes. Got 7 shots off, tested the keeper 2ice. Didn't get passes 3ice when wide open.

We weren't great as a team. But any focus on Gundogan as a problem yesterday is grossly misplaced.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Again, he didn't miss 7 chances. He took 7 shots. There is a difference. 2 were saved, one was the tight corner shot that went slightly over the bar, 2 got blocked, and 2 went wide.

Only 2 of those 7 we're legitimate chances. But if you want to rest your hat on that, fine!

People say he wasn't involved, yet he was one of the 4 players with 100 or more touches. Completed 90% of his passes, 2 of 3 through balls, 2 of 3 attempted key passes. Got 7 shots off, tested the keeper 2ice. Didn't get passes 3ice when wide open.

We weren't great as a team. But any focus on Gundogan is grossly misplaced.

begs the question as to why he's wasted the ball 5 times if they're not "legitimate chances". It's not misplaced at all.

 

[Nails]

begs the question as to why he's wasted the ball 5 times if they're not "legitimate chances". It's not misplaced at all.

FFS. Makes you want to bang your head against a wall.

 

[Dax777]

begs the question as to why he's wasted the ball 5 times if they're not "legitimate chances". It's not misplaced at all.

Because nothing was working. So he tried a shot. Again, he was better than everyone who started barring Dihno.


So a blocked shot is wasteful?

 

[supercity88]

Not sure what his role is. He is tasked with getting forward more but is generally in De Bruyne's shadow. He is better suited to playing the largely deeper playmaker role and then lampard style getting into pockets of space but he seems to just disappear too often trying to get into attacking areas.

Aguero was also too often in wide areas in the first half when he needed to stay central. Was just a bad performance from too many. Too many players not quite at it. Still had enough to win the game and the decision did not help but just one of those things. It is why no team has managed all 4 competitions before. Only takes one poor game or one poor decision and you can be out of a competition.

Take the positives. Two less competitions as of sunday night (hopefully with one won). Then more rest for the players and try and wrap the league up asap so the CL has full attention. We can completely rest our first 11 between games so our intensity helps us get to the CL final and win it!