There is still life in one Manchester City midfielder as he showed against Ipswich Town | OneFootball

One of the major concerns for Manchester City this lesson has been a lack of life in midfield. Since Rodri went down with a season-ending knee injury, City’s midfield has struggled this season. Age has caught up to a host of City’s midfielders and they have no one who can fill the void left by Rodri’s absence. But during their 6-nil win over Ipswich Town Ilkay Gundogan showed that there is still life in the German midfielder. He put in his best performance of the season at Portman Road in City’s emphatic win.

Playing alongside Mateo Kovacic in midfield at Portman Road Ilkay Gundogan helped Manchester City control proceedings. Gundogan and Kovacic both set the tempo of the games proceedings in midfield. Although City will face tougher tests than the one they faced against Ipswich Town it was good to finally see Pep Guardiola’s side control a game as we have become accustomed to seeing.

But for Ilkay Gundogan he looked more like the player who became a Manchester City legend. There was an energy to his play and he appeared to have the legs needed to make an impact. He glided around the pitch at Portman Road and he resembled the player he once was.

Ilkay Gundogan isn’t a number 6 like Rodri but to his credit this season has has stepped into the role for Pep Guardiola’s side. At times he has struggled but that isn’t his fault. Due to City’s injury crisis he has been forced to play more than would’ve been originally intended. He has also played in a role that doesn’t suit his strengths this season. But against Ipswich Town Gundogan showed that he can still contribute at a high level.

The hope is that Ilkay Gundogan’s performance against Ipswich Town can carry forward for the remainder of this season. He still has a key role to play for Pep Guardiola’s side this season. But his performance at Portman Road did show that there is still life in Ilkay Gundogan’s legs. That was great to see considering how tough a battle the 24/25 season has been at times for the Manchester City legend.