Craig Burley has said that unlike Ilkay Gundogan, Manchester City new-boy Mateo Kovacic is not a goalscoring threat whatsoever.
Speaking on ESPN FC, the outspoken pundit gave his two cents on the £25 million (Sky Sports) man’s move to the Etihad Stadium.
As per Craig Burley, what Mateo Kovacic severely lacks as a potential replacement at Manchester City for Ilkay Gundogan is the same ability to make the latter’s signature third man runs and find the back of the net.
Craig Burley spots flaw in Manchester City new-boy Mateo Kovacic as Ilkay Gundogan replacement
Branded as an ‘exceptional player’ by Pep Guardiola, while the Croatian midfielder was terrific against Arsenal in the Community Shield, his limitations in the final third were evident.
Whilst beating a series of pressers with his tremendous ball-carrying ability on a number of occasions, Kovacic lacked the decisiveness in open space to create or score a goal.
Now, Craig Burley has said that the lack of goalscoring ability that Manchester City technician Mateo Kovacic possesses is why he is not the ideal successor to Ilkay Gundogan in this very respect.
“Different player, different player. I think he’ll do a good job for the squad, but he’s not got the ability to ghost in.”
“The timing of the runs from the middle of the park is very important and Gundogan was one of the best at sort of ghosting into those areas.”
Mateo Kovacic should not be viewed as a direct replacement for the German
While Craig Burley is spot on, it is key to understand the differences in Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan as midfielders.
The Barcelona maestro is perhaps the only midfielder in the world who thrives in every phase of play; operating as a deep-lying playmaker, dictating the tempo of a game as a No.8 and registering output for days further forward.
Mateo Kovacic, on the other hand is a master of the first two phases of play and has always been limited in the final third.
Forget the three-time Champions League winner, no midfielder could replicate Gundogan’s completeness across every phase of the game, which makes him a truly unique player and why Kovacic should not be viewed as his heir.
