Even though FC Barcelona goes into the Clasico with Real Madrid unbeaten, Ilkay Gündogan still sees some room for improvement with his team. Meanwhile, he has no problem with Vinicius Junior’s style.
He already met Fürth with Nuremberg, Schalke with Dortmund and Manchester United with Manchester City, now Ilkay Gündogan will also soon know how it is with the rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Leaving aside the test match in Texas at the end of July, the captain of the German national team will experience his first Clasico on Saturday.
Barça goes into the clash with archrival Real Madrid as the only unbeaten team in the league, but is in danger of falling four points behind if it loses to the league leaders. This makes Gündogan all the more urgent in calling on his teammates, some of whom are very young, to show some maturity.
“It’s also my job to make sure everyone stays calm “
“We all have to be calmer and more patient than we have been lately,” the 33-year-old told Catalan TV channel “Esport3”. He added that there should be “no back and forth like the game against Shakhtar” that Barça won 2-1 on Wednesday. “We need to exert more control. In recent games we have made very simple mistakes that have cost us goals. With my experience, it’s also my job to make sure everyone stays calm. “
It was the youngsters around Marc Guiu and Fermin Lopez who had kept the defending champions on track in the league and Champions League of late, glossing over some defensive frailties. Even Lopez, who shone against Donetsk, still needs to “find the necessary composure” at times, however, according to Gündogan, who is happy to assist: “I came here to help my teammates get better. “
Vinicius provocations? “Not for me, honestly “
On the Madrilenians’ side, La Liga top scorer Jude Bellingham and dribbler Vinicius Junior in particular would be only too happy to poke into a few Catalan gaps. The latter, in particular, can expect a particularly unfriendly reception at Camp Nou, as always – few players polarize more in the league. “Some may take Vinicius’ behavior as a provocation, but for me it’s honestly not,” Gündogan takes the Brazilian, who is prone to theatrics, in his defense in the run-up. “Of course, he already knows that he will be booed if he does something like that. But maybe he likes being booed, I don’t know. “
