Ilkay Gundogan the Latest Example of Manchester City’s Improvement Under Pep

Even before Pep Guardiola had arrived at Manchester City and officially taken up the role as the club’s manager, his interest in Ilkay Gundogan was strong.

He met with Gundogan in Amsterdam back in March to discuss a deal along with City’s sporting director, Txiki Begiristain. He was desperate to land the German, a player he felt was key to the high-intensity pressing game he wanted to introduce at City.

It was similar to his pursuit of Thiago Alcantara when he took over at Bayern Munich in 2013. After taking a year’s sabbatical in New York, Guardiola returned to management in Bavaria and made Alcantara his primary transfer target.

He had worked with the midfielder at Barcelona and knew of his supreme ability to keep possession—to use the ball effectively and move quickly around the pitch. Alcantara proved to be a vital addition, upon whom much of Bayern’s success under Guardiola was built.

Gundogan finally made his debut for City on Wednesday, against Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League in a resounding 4-0 win.

City bossed the game from start to finish and notched up their seventh win from seven games under Guardiola’s tutelage. As straightforward as the evening was, Gundogan managed to shine brightly, delivering a superb performance from midfield that belied the fact he spent the previous four months recovering from a dislocated kneecap.

Sergio Aguero under Pep Guardiola:Games: 5Goals: 9