Gundogan: Special City becoming like Barca under Pep

LONDON: Ilkay Gundogan (pic) can sense something “special” is happening at Manchester City – and has seen it somewhere before.

The midfielder got a close-up view of Pep Guardiola’s acclaimed Bayern Munich team for three years during his time at Borussia Dortmund.

And German international Gundogan, 27, is now starting to recognise some of those familiar hallmarks at the Etihad.

But he believes there are more similarities between City and Guardiola’s al l - conquering Barcelona team – which could spell bad news for the English Premier League and the rest of Europe if he is right.

Guardiola won 14 trophies during four glittering years at the Nou Camp, including two European Cups and three La Liga titles.

Gundogan said: “The way we play, the way we dominate opponents, it feels special and feels like it could be a very special season. The domination is like Bayern, yes, but it’s a different kind of game.

“The way we build up, with the quick short passes, feels a bit differ- ent from Bayern for me, or Real Madrid.

“Maybe the most similar team would be Barcelona at their best with Pep.

“I wouldn’t say we are at their best yet but they were one of the best because of the way they dominated teams – and we are doing so now. I’m not sure if we are there yet. We still need to prove that in every game, every competition. We need to prove that with trophies.”

City look poised to put that right this season if their stunning run of results continues.

They are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions this season, racking up 14 wins and are already through to the Champions League last 16 after beating Napoli 4-2 on Wednesday.

And they are five points clear of Manchester United – who are led by Guardiola’s great rival Jose Mourinho – at the top of the Premier League.

The fit-again Gundogan was a key part of the stunning win in Naples – almost certainly their greatest performance on the road in Europe.

Whether City can turn their ear- ly-season form into silverware come May remains to be seen.

But £20.4mil (RM113mil) ace Gundogan has promised the fans they will enjoy the ride, whatever happens.

He said: “Look at the way we play, the way we keep the ball, pass the ball, those short, quick passes, espe- cially in midfield.

“We attack with a lot of players, create a lot of chances and score a lot of goals, we are going in the right way.

“This makes it fun for everyone, for us and for the supporters. People like to watch us.”