- Manchester City beat Al Ain 6-0 to qualify for the last 16 of the Club World Cup
- However star midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes his side have still been sloppy
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Ilkay Gundogan fired a pointed warning to Manchester City’s stars by insisting that a lingering sluggishness must be eradicated if they are to reach the latter stages of the Club World Cup.
City hammered Al Ain 6-0 to seal qualification to the knockout stages but a failure to net a seventh means Juventus are top of Group G on goals scored going into their meeting on Thursday.
Whoever finishes second is likely to face Real Madrid in the last 16 and Gundogan believes City have been too sloppy over their opening two fixtures in the tournament.
The midfielder, who scored twice against Al Ain, suggested Pep Guardiola’s side dipped beneath the standards expected of them.
‘We set seven (goals) as our target at half time but unfortunately we didn’t start the second half good enough, we were a bit slow,’ Gundogan said.
‘It felt like it cost us at the end. It’s difficult to find reasons for it sometimes. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened and maybe doesn’t make sense because of the way we performed in the first half.
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‘But even in the first half there were short periods where we were not that precise in terms of our passing and the way we played.
‘I think it was a coincidence to be honest but it’s something we need to observe and get better because at the highest level you should not allow yourself to be not good for such a long time.
‘It felt quite long to be honest, it felt at least five or 10 minutes too long in terms of the standards we have.’
Guardiola maintained that the ‘body language’ of teams is more important than tactics during tournament football and praised teenager Claudio Echeverri for his stunning freekick, a first goal in a City shirt.
Summer signing Rayan Cherki also notched a maiden goal, a powerful effort as City chased more late on, while Oscar Bobb also netted off the bench.
Erling Haaland scored a penalty but missed three presentable opportunities. The Norwegian now has one goal in open play since February for City, a run of 11 matches either side of an ankle injury.
‘Since Claudio arrived and the three or four months with us, at the end of training sessions he was practicing free-kicks with the goalkeeper, with a wall and alone,’ Guardiola said.
‘The other ones did not practice. He was practicing and practicing and the work pays- off. A fantastic goal and an incredible player.’
Echeverri is one who could leave on loan this summer and Galatasaray hold an interest in Gundogan, who has one year left on his contract. The midfielder confirmed that he would prefer to stay at the Etihad Stadium.
‘I have one more year left on my contract and I’m very happy here,’ Gundogan added. ‘I think everybody knows that.
‘I am committed to that competition (for places) and enjoying my football. I still believe I have several years in me at the highest level by taking good care of myself.
‘I’ve proven it last season where I didn’t miss a game. I’m available, I’m fit, I want to play at the highest level for much longer.’
