A Manchester City veteran has turned back the clock in City’s past two matches | OneFootball

Ilkay Gundogan has toiled away this season for Manchester City. He hasn’t been at his best but he hasn’t been alone on that front. At times it appeared that Gundogan’s legs had gone. But whether or not that is a symptom of Gundogan being asked to play too often or in a role that doesn’t suit him remains to be seen. But over Manchester City’s past two matches, Gundogan has wound back the clock in terms of his performances. It has been good to see and shows that there is still an important role for him to play in Pep Guardiola’s side.

During Manchester City’s 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium Ilkay Gundogan and Manchester City’s older players were up for the fight. The former German international was strong in a challenge and did win his fair share of duels against Bournemouth. It was one of Gundogan’s better games for this season. As Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the second half of that game Gundogan played a key role in that domination. Ilkay Gundogan carried that form into last night’s match.

Manchester City cruised to a 2-nil win over Leicester City last night. A feature of their play was their dominance in possession and particularly their domination of midfield. Ilkay Gundogan played alongside Nico and the pair dictated the midfield battle. Watching Gundogan play alongside Nico it appeared that the Manchester City legend was playing in a manner that resembled his best. He got around the pitch well and was key to City’s possession dominance. The opposition wasn’t the best but Gundogan did his job and played well at the Etihad.

It has to be said that Ilkay Gundogan does look leaner and fitter at the moment. That fact has to be considered in his last two performances. He is moving around the pitch better and that is helping him both in and out of possession. It has been good to see Ilkay Gundogan turn back the clock so to speak. When he plays like he has in the past two matches he remains an important player for Pep Guardiola’s side. The hope is that his recent form continues over the closing stages of this season.