‘One of the smartest I’ve ever coached’ – Guardiola lavishes praise on Barcelona veteran

Barcelona roped in Ilkay Gundogan last summer as a free agent after his contract expired at Manchester City, following a historic treble season under Pep Guardiola.

While he might not have won any trophy in his debut season in Barcelona, the German international was one of the positives of the campaign for the Catalans, standing out with impressive displays in midfield.

It is no secret that Guardiola did not wish to lose Gundogan to Barça last summer and now in a recent interview, the Manchester City manager lavished huge praise on the veteran superstar.

“Ilkay didn’t speak a lot, but when he did, everyone listened to him, including me as a coach. He was clear and direct. He is a very intelligent player, one of the smartest I have ever coached. He was the key to our success,” he said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

Explaining what makes Gundogan such a special player, the former Barcelona boss added: “A player can be quick, he can have a good shot, but what makes him stand out from the rest and become an elite player is his intelligence.

“Making the right decisions under pressure, knowing what the team needs at any given moment, that’s the kind of player I’m looking for.”

Guardiola thinks very highly of Gundogan. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Continuing, he added: “I love intelligent players. I only had to explain everything to İlkay once. He understood it and put it into practice immediately. That’s extraordinary.”

Guardiola went on to add that Gundogan’s best position would be anywhere in midfield while also highlighting the midfielder’s best quality, saying:

“He is best at playing the ball in small, confined spaces. For example, as a number ten, behind the centre-forward. But he also supplies passes to the full-backs. İlkay’s instinct for finding the right moment, his ball control and the precision of his passes: all this is exceptional.

“I have to add that İlkay himself is a good goal scorer. He can easily score ten to fifteen goals a season.”

Concluding, Guardiola insisted that he believes that Gundogan can be a top coach in the future, as he said:

“Our conversations. His vision of the game, his ideas. It was a pleasure to talk tactics with İlkay. He sees the big picture and the subtleties. The cells that make up a football match. I am convinced that one day he will be a great coach.”