Thread by @FerranEra_, [THREAD] How Ilkay Gündogan is Important to Man City (and what he [...]

[THREAD] How Ilkay Gündogan is Important to Man City (and what he brings to the table that Aouar does not)

[1/?] Ilkay Gündogan is a player who has very bipolar views among the City fanbase. I’ll admit, I myself have very varied views on him. However, I’ve recently began to appreciate him more, and I hope to make others appreciate him too with this thread.

[2/?] Unlike other seasons, this season Gündogan played in a deeper role, often playing in a pivot with new signing Rodri. For this thread, I’ll be using stats from the 2-0 loss to Spurs and other games.

[3/?] As shown here, Gündogan player a deep role, being the 2nd most defensively-positioned midfielder for us. It could be argued his role was in a double-pivot alongside Rodri, with KDB as a 10.

[4/?] We’ve all seen stats that show we aren’t as good with Gündoğan as we are without him. However, here are some stats:

Ground Duels:
- Gundo - 4/6 complete (66.7%)
- Rodri - 0/9 complete (0%)

Aerial Duels:
- Gundo - 1/2 complete (50%)
- Rodri - 1/4 complete (25%)

[5/?] Possession lost:
- Gundo - 10 times
- Rodri - 12 times

Fouls committed:
- Gundo - 0
- Rodri - 6 (1 yellow card)

One game may not be enough, but this was possibly the game where Gundo-hate peaked. He was being scapegoated so much, and yet he still wasn’t as bad as Rodri.

[6/?] A major false narrative among the City fanbase is that Gündogan can’t perform with Rodri at all.

This is NOT the case. This season, he’s had 3 stand-out games: the 3-0 win vs Liverpool and the 2 Real Madrid ties. In all 3 of these games, Gündogan started alongside Rodri.

[7/?] So, what exactly DOES Gündogan bring to the team? Well, it’s a lot more than good passing: he gives Pep options.

With Gündogan, Pep can play a 4-2-2-2 type shape, which allows for easier buildup (see the 4-0 win v Liverpool)

[8/?] With Gündogan, Pep can play a 4-2-3-1, allowing KDB to have a free role and one of the fullbacks to push up freely without being outnumbered defensively.

With Gündogan, Pep can play a normal 4-3-3, but have one of the CM’s (Gundo in this case) be defensive.

[9/?] With Gündogan, Pep can have a perfect player to come in for Rodri if he ever picks up an injury, just like he did for Fernandinho in 18/19.

It’s not just that. There is NO player in the world with Gundogan’s ability/versatility who would take up a squad/backup role. NONE.

[10/?] “We can replace Gündogan with Aouar” is a weak argument. Sure, Aouar is better, but he will not take a bench role AND he would overtake Foden and/or Bernardo in the process. Furthermore, by playing him as a DM, Aouar’s creativity would be hugely wasted.

[11/?] And yes, I know stats aren’t everything. And I also know that Aouar is younger. But, as a defensive minded-player, Gündogan is just... better.

[12/12] I’ll conclude this thread by saying this: I may not have been his biggest fan at times, but I can appreciate Gündogan for his determination and how good of a player he’s been for us at times.

And no, I’m not saying he’s better than Aouar before you attack me for that.

Latest Threads Unrolled: