Gündogan with a modest interim conclusion: Barça season so far only “okay” – Barçawelt

Ilkay Gündogan is hoping for an improvement in form at FC Barcelona. He simply describes the Catalans’ season so far as “okay” in terms of sport.

FC Barcelona “still needs to improve in many areas”

After the Champions League triumph with Manchester City, Ilkay Gündogan achieved everything he could in England. Therefore, the captain of the German national team finally decided to leave the island and join FC Barcelona.

However, that doesn’t mean that he no longer feels hungry for the title. On the contrary: Gündogan is and remains an ambitious professional, as he showed not least with his public criticism for a level of frustration that was too low for him after the 1-2 defeat in the Clásico against Real Madrid.

Because of this defeat, among other things, the Catalans are only in third place in the LaLiga after 15 match days – four points each behind the Royals and Girona FC, who Barça will face in the Catalan derby on Sunday (9 p.m.).

Gündogan is only partially satisfied with the season so far. “In terms of sport, things are going okay, but we still have to improve in many areas,” said the 33-year-old in an interview with ZEIT. “That’s why I was brought in. The coach said I should pass on my experiences,” said Gündogan, who still has communication problems on the pitch. Because: The Gelsenkirchen native hasn’t had his first Spanish lessons yet.

Gündogan is not thinking about leaving: “I don’t regret the decision for a second”

Gündogan hasn’t started taking Spanish lessons yet

“It will start within the next two weeks. It’s enough for small talk. Even if it doesn’t work perfectly because of the language barrier, I can trigger certain things among my young colleagues just with my appearance. FC Barcelona trusts the players from its own training center. There are also individual footballers from abroad like me who ensure the right mix and the necessary stability. Recently the club has lost personalities, such as Lionel Messi, who shaped an era. Success won’t happen overnight, it’s a process – always in cooperation with the fans, by the way,” said the Blaugrana’s number 22, who has 20 competitive games, one goal and five assists to date.