De Bruyne, Gundogan not satisfied with performance, happy with result in Germany

Kevin De Bruyne summed up Manchester City’s performance against Borussia Mönchengladbach with muted confidence. “It’s not nice to see but, in the end, we are through and that is the most important.”

After losing Fernandinho in the middle of the second half, Kevin DeBruyne said that City just had to “kill the game.”

Speaking alongside Ilkay Gundogan in a post-match interview, the Belgian talked about BMG’s intent. “Even before they scored, they just wanted to defend. It was a tough first half but we played much better in the second. It was about controlling and to go through. Obviously we can do better but that is not the most important today.”

Gundogan, in reference to City’s shifting formation (from three to four at the back depending on possession), said, “That is the kind of football we want to play.”

Seeking to dominate possession, search for openings in a compact defense, and hold off counter-attacks demanded awareness and adaptability from the team. According to Ilkay, “We always want to react when we recognise that things aren’t going well. We tried to change and the manager helped us every time which was necessary so that we could control the game.”

“Obviously we want to do better,” De Bruyne said while remaining humble about his role in City’s equalizer. With qualification for the group of 16 locked down, City will apply the lessons learned at Borussia-Park to make sure Chelsea and Liverpool don’t pull away at the top of the EPL table.