Ilkay Gundogan (32 years old) will be the first signing of boat of the summer, after the German signed his contract as a Barça player for the next two seasons with an optional one, and all that remains is to make his joining official to Xavi Hernandez have a top-level midfielder who can occupy any of the four midfield positions in the culé coach’s scheme. Could be the ‘new Busquets‘, play in either of the two interiors or have a more offensive role if he feels like it Xavi.
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Pivot
It will not be a new position for him, although perhaps one that will allow him to show his conditions at least. Gundogan is fully capable of distributing play as the deepest man in midfield and can also drop between the centre-backs to help overcome the opposition’s high pressure. In addition, he has a defensive spirit that has allowed him to achieve 155 recoveries in 31 games in the Premier League and despite the fact that he may appear short in appearance, he is 1.80m tall, three centimeters more than Kimmich, something that also allowed him to win 60% of their aerial duels last season.
2
Within
A position where he is comfortable and where he shows his patience and understanding of the game. Gundogan is life insurance when he needs to combine with his teammates, with 1,359 passes completed this season in the Premier and with 88% success, and his vision of the game allows him to find partners in attacking the ideal positions to combine the danger games that start as a less offensive interior. His sacrifice is a big help on defense at this position. This is the position he has occupied the most this season, with 25 appearances and accumulating three goals and three assists.
3
internal with arrival
The role that will allow him to become more famous and where he aims to play for Barça, leading the pivot planned to sign and De Jong. With more freedom and less defensive demands, Gundogan is where he is most comfortable. In the three-quarter zone, he moves quickly to avoid opponents and connects standards to mount attacks. The German has shown he can do a lot of damage from the second line and has scored more than ten goals for three consecutive seasons (11 in 22-23, 10 in 21-22 and 17 in 20-21).
4
Half Point
On the deeper goalscoring side, Gündogan has been the fifth highest scorer for City (11) this season and handling the midfielder role was key to the double in the FA Cup final. Xavi always demands a more offensive contribution in the media and with the German will have guarantees of success in this aspect. His more advanced presence will also help to gain more possession control in locked games.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
