Izzy Christiansen says Manchester City are struggling to close games out due to the absence of Ilkay Gundogan this season.
The pundit emphasised Gundogan’s reading of a game as a crucial reason why City were able to manage games excellently in previous campaigns during the Sky Blues’ pre-match show ahead of the Club World Cup semi-final.
Since the German international has left Manchester City in the summer, much has been made of his exit.
Izzy Christiansen says Manchester City are missing the Ilkay Gundogan factor when trying to close games out this season
Jay Bothroyd claimed that the Premier League champions were especially missing the 33-year-old’s eye for goal and his dominance in big games.
Gary Neville, on the other hand, emphasised that everything he brought to Pep Guardiola’s men is being missed by the treble-winners.
But Izzy Christiansen broke down why Ilkay Gundogan was a key cog at Manchester City when it came to managing games and why his absence is hurting them in this respect.
“Do you want to know what I think it is? [Ilkay] Gundogan. Not there anymore and I think he had that sense of calm about him. Everyone speaks about him, he’s a future manager and on the pitch, he read everything before it happened and he was one of the best players in the Premier League, if not, probably the stats would say he was up there with the best at second balls”, she said on Manchester City’s pre-match show on Tuesday.
“Someone who reads the second ball is someone who reads the game well and I just think they miss Gundogan’s management in the midfield. People are saying City are dropping off, I think you’re [Shaun Wright-Phillips] spot on, they’ve been playing well. I just think they may be in a bit of, I don’t even want to say a transition, I just think they’ve got a few players who have left, Gundogan, in particular.”
Ilkay Gundogan had a rare understanding of the tempo of a game
Izzy Christiansen has hit the nail on the head about Manchester City legend Ilkay Gundogan, who had a unique understanding of adjusting the tempo of his game as per a particular match’s demands.
If City were in need of a goal, the versatile midfielder would amp up his approach, suddenly starting to carry the ball and getting in the box to get on the end of chances.
In games against top opposition, especially away from home, Ilkay Gundogan would retain possession and slow the pace of the game down to stop the hosts’ momentum.
It is hard for many players to have such a mastery of this much-needed skill and as a result, Gundogan’s exit has meant the English juggernaut have lost a figure who would quietly get them over the line in countless games.
However, with time, one expects the club’s current crop of players to learn how to close games out successfully after their recent experiences.
