Man City is the thinking man’s team

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2021 (2010 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Talk about being Johnny-on-the-spot. Five minutes into the second half at Anfield, and not long after skying a penalty that would have put his side ahead of the reigning champions, Ilkay Gundogan smashed the ball into the roof of the net after Phil Foden’s shot was parried into his path by goalkeeper Alisson. 

In the 74th minute his blasted shot to the same spot in the top of the net proved the winner against Liverpool and took Manchester City five points clear atop the table.

But what was he doing so far forward? How had this midfielder, operating strictly in the centre of the park through most of his Premier League tenure, notched a brace from a few feet out?

The answer is one of coaching nous and athletic intelligence that have combined to make City the form team in Europe this calendar year — and the 30-year-old the best player at his position in 2021.

As recently as Dec. 19 at St. Mary’s, Gundogan was working alongside Rodri in a mostly defensive role in support of the marauding Kevin De Bruyne. City, as incredible as it seems, were eighth at the time and had fallen as low as 14th after a plodding start to the season.

They simply weren’t scoring enough goals.

In their four October league matches they found the back of the net only once each time out, and between December 5 and that 1-0 win away to Southampton they again scored just four in four. Manager Pep Guardiola had to do something, and conspiring with his assistant he targeted Gundogan as the player to provide a much-needed lift.

Working with Juanma Lillo, who replaced Mikel Arteta when the latter was appointed Arsenal manager, Gundogan watched a lot of film and did a lot of training for his new assignment, which was to bomb forward whenever a teammate had the ball near the attacking third.

City first tried it out on Boxing Day against Newcastle and were rewarded almost immediately. 

Less than a quarter-hour after kick-off, the Germany international made a perfectly-timed run beyond even forward Ferran Torres and found the back of the net from five yards after being picked out by a patient Raheem Sterling. He went on to touch the ball 91 times in the match — a lot for a number eight — and completed 90 per cent of his passes.

The 2-0 victory represented only the second time all season that City had won back-to-back. And, just like that, they were sixth.

“He was already the player he is, maybe better for the experience he has,” remarked Guardiola earlier this month, as per the club’s official website. When asked about what had suddenly made Gundogan even more effective, the manager pointed to midfielder’s intelligence.

“I admire when a player is intelligent,” he said. “He can solve problems during the game and solve it property… that’s why he is a top class player.”

Guardiola, don’t forget, once claimed he’d field a team entirely of midfielders if he could — no doubt the type he’s helped turn Gundogan into these last few weeks.

Eight days after the Newcastle triumph, City faced Chelsea in a match that would end up shaping the next month for both teams. Already more confident in his new position, Gundogan spent less time on the ball and took more chances to shoot it. And, wouldn’t you know, he once again opened the scoring, drilling a low, hard shot on the swivel that turned Phil Foden’s clipped pass into a spectacular assist and left goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with no chance whatsoever.

And, just like that, City were fifth.

“I think on the back of Man City having problems with strikers… other people have had to step up to the plate and this man has done it more than anyone,” stated pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports this week. “What I found fascinating (against Liverpool) is that Gundogan’s two goals were from inside the six-yard box.” 

The passing of Joao Cancelo, and City’s possession game generally, have obviously had a hand in making their teammate the standout footballer so far this calendar year, but they still need a player to pick out, a runner to find and take advantage of space.

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Since beating Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, City have won a further seven matches on the bounce and extended their winning streak to 10. Tottenham Hotspur will pose the latest challenge today at Eastlands (11:30 a.m., DAZN), but there is absolutely nothing to suggest the hosts won’t win an 11th — and that Gundogan won’t play the starring role. 

After all, we’re getting used to the pattern.

There he goes, bursting through the centre of the park and choosing a running route for a fellow blue shirt to find with an accurate pass. And, wouldn’t you know it, he’s once again cannoned the ball from the goalkeeper from in close, arriving Johnny-on, er, Gundo-on-the-spot.

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Twitter @JerradPeters