Ilkay Gundogan: “I feel like we are much more stable at the moment.”

Ilkay Gundogan is confident in his team’s tenacity and abilities as they enter the second leg of the UCL. Speaking in his pre match press conference, Gundogan touched on that, Leeds loss and much more.

Let’s dive in-

“For me it is very important (to take the next step in Europe). I have expectations to myself. I have expectations to my teammates, to my team,”

“I know we have great players and a great team and should have been to the semis earlier. We were lacking something. We made little mistakes which led to goals.

“I remember the Spurs game at home (in 2019) where we conceded three goals, Liverpool at home (in 2018) where we conceded two goals.

“When you concede this amount of goals in the leg at home, it is not easy.

“I feel like we are much more stable at the moment. We are defending well.

“I think the more you proceed in this competition, the more important it gets.

“It gives you confidence when you know the goalkeeper and the defence are working well and combined with the feeling we can score, that’s a great potential.

“Yeah, maybe it was a warning, a signal for us”

“It was not our ambition to get one point or to forget that game and focus on Dortmund. That was not the case at all.

“We know we have games to win.

“Nothing is over yet. Now we are facing a different team and after that we will focus on the other competitions.”

“The Champions League is a great competition to be a part of. I remember growing up and watching Champions League games with the family. It was like a festival.

“It’s the highest level you can play. That’s what I love about the competition. It is something I definitely want to achieve, to win the trophy.

“We have a really good chance with this club. It is not just about chances, it is about taking them. We try to go step to step. This year is another chance.”

“We need to learn it is normal to struggle,”

“Everyone has quality. It is normal when you concede a goal. Maybe it is something we are not too used too, conceding or struggling because we are used to dominating the game and having possession.

“It is completely normal in the Champions League and Premier League that there are games that might not be that easy.

“Just learning to deal with it, is the only thing that was missing, especially when you talk about that Spurs second leg when we won 4-3.

“In the first leg, conceding the first goal was unnecessary. But we still had 60 minutes to play, so just dealing with that situation is something we might need to learn still.

“These stages will show it now. It is something we need to accept, if you like.”

Some very good comments. Gundogan is strong mentally and that can only rub off on the other players. City is well positioned to advance far in the UCL and Gundo’s leadership might be key to it all.