The match between Manchester City and Borussia Mönchengladbach eventually ended in a 1-1 draw on matchday 5 of the Champions League as City confirmed their place in the last-16 of the competition with one game still to play. The result puts them in second place behind group leaders FC Barcelona. But the bottom line is that the 26-year-old is pleased to have qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Germany international speaks in an interview with DFB.de about the draw in Gladbach, his ambitions for City in the Champions League, his former club’s record win, Marco Reus’ comeback and the situation with his teammate Leroy Sané.
Interviewer: Ilkay Gündogan, how happy are you with your first competitive match back on German soil since your move to Manchester?
Ilkay Gündogan: I’m pleased with the result because we’ve made it to the next round. But we can clearly improve on the kind of football we played and the way we performed, especially in the first half. Perhaps that was more obvious to us afterwards than during the game itself. As a result the atmosphere in the dressing room after the final whistle was not particularly lively.
Interviewer: Both teams ended the match with ten men. You got the feeling that City were content to see out the draw. That surprised a few in the stadium....
Gündogan: Sometimes you have to settle for the draw. We sensed in the last few minutes that Gladbach were also happy to get the draw and didn’t press us as much. As a result we were able to move the ball around without any pressure. That probably wasn’t great for the neutral to watch but for us this result means that we’re through to the next round. The win was not absolutely necessary and then you just have to be a bit clever about it, even though winning is of course our objective.
Interviewer: Are Manchester City one of the best teams in the Champions League despite being second in the group?
Gündogan: When you look at the groups, it doesn’t really matter if you are second or third. Bayern München are in second place and so are Real Madrid, so I’m not sure if it is definitely an advantage to win the group. We’re going to face a tougher opponent in the next round regardless. To go further in the competition, you have to beat difficult teams, so we are happy that we are in the next round and we are ready to face any team.
Interviewer: Can City win the Champions League?
Gündogan: I don’t know to be quite honest. It is such a tough competition, there are so many good teams. Beating Barcelona was important for us but it also showed everyone else that we are well in their league. A lot of people are of course now expecting a performance like this in every game but that is not easy. We are still going to try though.
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The match between Manchester City and Borussia Mönchengladbach eventually ended in a 1-1 draw on matchday 5 of the Champions League as City confirmed their place in the last-16 of the competition with one game still to play. The result puts them in second place behind group leaders FC Barcelona. But the bottom line is that the 26-year-old is pleased to have qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Germany international speaks in an interview with DFB.de about the draw in Gladbach, his ambitions for City in the Champions League, his former club’s record win, Marco Reus’ comeback and the situation with his teammate Leroy Sané.
Interviewer: Ilkay Gündogan, how happy are you with your first competitive match back on German soil since your move to Manchester?
Ilkay Gündogan: I’m pleased with the result because we’ve made it to the next round. But we can clearly improve on the kind of football we played and the way we performed, especially in the first half. Perhaps that was more obvious to us afterwards than during the game itself. As a result the atmosphere in the dressing room after the final whistle was not particularly lively.
Interviewer: Both teams ended the match with ten men. You got the feeling that City were content to see out the draw. That surprised a few in the stadium....
Gündogan: Sometimes you have to settle for the draw. We sensed in the last few minutes that Gladbach were also happy to get the draw and didn’t press us as much. As a result we were able to move the ball around without any pressure. That probably wasn’t great for the neutral to watch but for us this result means that we’re through to the next round. The win was not absolutely necessary and then you just have to be a bit clever about it, even though winning is of course our objective.
Interviewer: Are Manchester City one of the best teams in the Champions League despite being second in the group?
Gündogan: When you look at the groups, it doesn’t really matter if you are second or third. Bayern München are in second place and so are Real Madrid, so I’m not sure if it is definitely an advantage to win the group. We’re going to face a tougher opponent in the next round regardless. To go further in the competition, you have to beat difficult teams, so we are happy that we are in the next round and we are ready to face any team.
Interviewer: Can City win the Champions League?
Gündogan: I don’t know to be quite honest. It is such a tough competition, there are so many good teams. Beating Barcelona was important for us but it also showed everyone else that we are well in their league. A lot of people are of course now expecting a performance like this in every game but that is not easy. We are still going to try though.
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Interviewer: Are you finding that the squad keeps on developing and is starting to gel even better?
Gündogan: I think that we’ve already put in some outstanding performances. You can’t always play at your very best. There are games where you have to deal with setbacks both in terms of the result and the way you play. We are trying to manage that as best we can. I certainly think that we are gelling better and better but we have still not exploited all the potential that we have, so we really want to take it to the next level. That also goes for the Premier League, not just the Champions League.
Interviewer: Your previous club Borussia Dortmund pulled off a record 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw. Were you following that?
Gündogan: I didn’t watch the full 90 minutes. I was keeping an eye on the first half on the internet using live-ticker and I watched the highlights later. The first few goals made me smile. When it was 5-2 at half time, you knew that big things were happening in this game and the final result demonstrated that.
Interviewer: It was Marco Reus’ first goals since his comeback after a long period out with injury which is something you have experienced before. What did you make of that?
Gündogan: I sent him a good luck message in the evening and he said thank you. I’m chuffed for him because I know what a fantastic guy and a brilliant footballer he is. He belongs on the pitch. I hope that he can stay fit and get back in the starting line-up.
Interviewer: Leroy Sané is often on the bench at City. How do you think he is dealing with the situation?
Gündogan: Professionally, as a 20-year-old should. At his age it is obviously not easy to move to a new country, especially alone as he is at the moment. I am there and try to support him where I can. He cost a huge amount so a lot of people obviously expect a lot from him. I know what it is like to come to a big club as a 20-year-old. I also had a lot of issues in my first six months at Borussia Dortmund. It is completely normal for it to be like this. The most important thing is that he continues working on his game and gives his all. He is motivated and I am absolutely sure that he will become a regular.
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