Ahead of Sunday’s crunch match against Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp talked about facing one of the best players he ever coached.
Jurgen Klopp just talked about one of the best players he ever coached and how happy he feels for his moment. Ever since he got past the Covid-19 infection, Ilkay Gundogan found a similar level he had during his best days at Borussia Dortmund. We are not exaggerating when we say that he was even compared to Xavi Hernandez during that time. The German international suffered a few serious injuries during a time that prevented him from getting to his full potential.
But Pep Guardiola still wanted him at Manchester City regardless of the cost. Today, the Citizens are finally getting the best Ilkay Gundogan we have ever seen. Even Jurgen Klopp is surprised by the star midfielder’s goal-scoring capabilities. With next Sunday’s crunch match between Liverpool and City, we believe Gundogan will be extremely important for his side against the Reds.
Klopp is still in awe of Gundogan.
When asked about his former player, Jurgen Klopp gave his verdict on Ilkay’s current level of performance when questioned if he was surprised through The Mirror: “Not at all. The goalscoring maybe a little bit, the rest not. Ilkay was one of the best players I ever coached. He was a very young player when he came to us from Nurnberg to Dortmund. Especially in the 2012 season, he was unbelievable. He played pretty much like he is playing now.
“Then he had, unfortunately, some injuries, really tough injuries, but that’s now all sorted. It’s the longest period he can play football without getting interrupted and I wish him really well that he can continue like this. That’s the only reason. He was always that player. When you are smart and experience comes into play as well, then it’s another jump in your performance level. I’m not surprised at all.”
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