Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Pep needed precision, a locksmith to unpick Leeds... Gundogan did the job brilliantly
IT might take him a while, but Pep Guardiola will eventually forgive Ilkay Gundogan.
DUNN
Not for missing the penalty that could have made this victory completely stress-free –
Guardiola will happily accept that can happen to anyone – but for taking it in the first place. and, in the technical area, see round corners, a footballer
Two up and with six minutes something similar hit the fan. who passes with surgical of regulation time remaining, But after Rodrigo’s goal a precision. And in the quiet Pascal Struijk’s offence against couple of minutes later proved genius that is Gundogan, Pep Phil Foden gave Manchester to be only a consolation for Sam had just the man.
City the chance to coast to the Allardyce’s side, the job was “A footballer defined finishing line. done for City. perfectly,” Guardiola said of the
But Erling Haaland did what And the irony is that the man German recently. he thought was the generous, largely responsible for doing And that is Gundogan lovely thing to do and handed that job was Gundogan. summed up perfectly. the ball to Gundogan, so his Against an Allardyce side, The first official signing of captain could complete his Guardiola knew he needed a Guardiola’s City era, there is hat-trick. The shot hit the post lock-picker, a player who can probably no one who has contributed so much to the club’s success in return for so relatively little acclaim.
Remember, it was Gundogan’s introduction three-quarters into the closing game of last season against Aston Villa that, essentially, won the title for City.
Normally, Guardiola would not worry at the prospect of a player walking away from his project, and City will cope and continue to prosper if the 32-year-old decides his career needs a final challenge.
Gundogan’s contract expires soon, he has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona and no City fan or team-mate would begrudge him a lucrative switch to a beautiful city.
But they would miss him. Confronted by Big Sam’s
massed defensive ranks, Gundogan produced a first-half masterclass that was not just about his two exquisite strikes.
In those opening 45 minutes, Gundogan completed 92 passes, almost double the amount completed by the entire Leeds side.
Kevin De Bruyne is not a fan of the completed passes category, but most of these Gundogan passes meant something.
And it was those two exquisite strikes that symbolised everything that is classy about Gundogan.
After smuggling himself into the limited space between the lines of the Leeds rearguard, he PASSED both Riyad Mahrez assists beyond Joel Robles – one without a first touch, one with.
Surprisingly, he converted his chances with the sort of composure that was missing from Haaland’s game, the Norwegian missing what were, by his exalted standards, a series of sitters.
But, apart from failing to bolster his extraordinary numbers, Haaland’s offcolour finishing looked like it really wouldn’t matter because, before Rodrigo capitalised on a Manuel Akanji mistake, Leeds offered little attacking threat.
That they avoided a good hiding was not only down to Haaland’s wastefulness, but also to the limited exertions of a side with their eyes on the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
For the Real Madrid test, there may well be half-a-dozen changes to the line-up that started this match, but Guardiola would have wanted everyone to stay as fresh as possible for the Champions League semi-final.
And if it had not been for the penalty fiasco and the Akanji error, they would have won this in a canter, just as there is a chance they might now win the Premier League in a canter.
If Arsenal are beaten at St James’ Park today, City could clinch the title with two matches to spare.
But if they need a penalty to win it, you know who will and who will not be taking it.