Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri of Manchester City pose with the Premier League trophy
Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri are two key Manchester City players
Ilkay Gundogan is a five-time Premier League winner, two-time FA Cup winner, four-time Carabao Cup winner, two-time Community Shield winner and Champions League winner with Manchester City.
But his struggles this season are now potentially costing them in staying at the top.
The 34-year-old German midfielder has been an integral part in City’s recent success, but since his return he’s struggled to reignite his title-winning form.
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Once a player known for stepping up in big moments in title races, Gundogan has found life back in Manchester difficult without the support of De Bruyne and Rodri around him.
With De Bruyne struggling for fitness and Rodri out for the season, Pep Guardiola needs to find a way to help Gundogan become the midfield stalwart City need in the title race.
City lost their fifth match in a row in all competitions to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and there were many players to point fingers at when the final whistle came.
One of them being Gundogan who struggled to track back and control the midfield in Rodri’s usual position. In these five consecutive losses, he has started four of them and only played the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 loss to Spurs.
In the 17 appearances he’s made this season, he’s contributed just two goals and one assist. De Bruyne has contributed the same this season in seven less matches. If we only watched football through stats, then we could say they clearly speak for themselves when analysing Gundogan’s performance so far this season.
However, even when you watch Gundogan it’s easy to see he’s not comfortable in the position he’s playing and with the players he’s current playing with.
Before Rodri became the infallible backbone of the midfield, City fans will remember the times there wasn’t a designated defensive midfielder to rely on. Especially the times when Guardiola relied on Gundogan to play in that defensive midfield role, and how he struggled to be as effective as he is further forward in City's midfield.
For all of Gundogan’s offensive playmaking genius, his defensive work rate in tracking back and dispelling counter attacks has always been a weakness in his game.
A weakness thoroughly exploited this season by teams such as Spurs that have ran through City’s midfield with ease to overload the defence. A weakness especially laid bare when he’s not supported by Rodri behind him and De Bruyne by his side.
It will only continue to cost City if Gundogan can’t learn to play without their support in the midfield. Even as De Bruyne slowly returns to the team, City still have the rest of the season to play without Rodri and it could cost them more if Gundogan can’t find the form which made him a key part of City's title winning machine
An average of two key passes and one shot per match just isn’t good enough for a team looking for their fifth Premier League title in a row.