Gündogan warns: googling at halftime can damage the team

Ilkay Gündogan, the German midfielder, gave in an interview with Die Zeit a striking view on the behaviour of some players: they search the internet for themselves during the break, a need for affirmation that, according to the experienced professional, can be dangerous for the team.

“Yes, unfortunately that’s true,” says Gündogan about players who Google during the break. He states that some footballers value the opinion of the outside world more than that of the coach or teammate. According to him, that external affirmation can influence decisions on the pitch and harm the team.

Future as a coach and analysis

Gündogan is already considering a career as a coach and finds a role as a television analyst less attractive. He emphasises that the job is demanding because of the diverse personalities within a squad. Especially Pep Guardiola has, according to him, played an important role in his development.

“Pep planted the seed,” Gündogan explains about the former Manchester City manager. He praises Guardiola as “always hungry to win more” and describes his achievements as “the reinvention of football”. Gündogan calls him a fascinating man.

Through the collaboration with Guardiola, Gündogan has started to look at the game differently himself. “I was already an international then, but I quickly realised that I had certain ideas that were not right. I needed new ones,” says the German midfielder.