Daily Archives: October 17, 2025

Ilkay Gundogan: My game in my words

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“There is one word that coaches use again and again when describing Ilkay Gundogan: intelligence. Whether it is Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola or Hansi Flick, they all praise Gundogan’s tactical cleverness, the way he leads and organises on the pitch. It is an approach to the game that marks him out as a future coach. Having come through Vfl Bochum before FC Nurnberg, he joined Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in 2011 and was pivotal to the Dortmund side that toppled Bayern Munich in the 2011-12 season to win a domestic double. The following year, they reached the Champions League final. By then, he was an established German international. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
W – İlkay Gündoğan

Welcome to the Premier League’s late-goal era

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“Steve Bruce. Alisson. Sergio Aguero. Stoppage-time winners are the Premier League’s most powerful narrative device, single moments that can flip the course of a season in an instant. This year, the league’s scriptwriters have leaned into the drama more than ever. Of the 70 matches played so far, 10 have been won by stoppage-time goals, the highest share in any Premier League campaign. This is not simply an early-season quirk. When measured against any 70-match stretch, we have never seen late drama arrive so often. The closest comparison came in December 2007, when Reading and West Ham both struck at the death to raise the rolling tally to nine. …”
NY Times/The Athletic