“Surprised with how washed he was”, “Does nothing off the ball” - Barcelona fans slam ‘sloppy’ midfielder after pre-season loss to AC Milan
Fans were unimpressed with İlkay Gündoğan's performance in Barcelona's defeat to AC Milan in a pre-season friendly clash on August 6 at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The German midfielder arrived at Camp Nou in 2023 after a seven-year tenure at Manchester City.
The friendly match ended in a 4-3 loss on penalties for the Blaugrana after the first 90 minutes ended in a 2-2 draw. AC Milan opened their scoring with Luka Jović's goal from an assist by Christian Pulisic just 10 minutes into the clash. The 25-year-old American winger doubled the score with Rafael Leão's assist in the 15th minute.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski netted their first goal through an assist by Raphinha in the 22nd minute. The Poland national team captain struck again in the 58th minute to level it 2-2 for the Spanish giants. İlkay Gündoğan was substituted by Quim Junyent in the very first minute of the second half.
Fans took to social media and flooded with posts expressing their opinions on Gündoğan's gameplay in the pre-season friendly against AC Milan. While some fans criticized, saying that the German national team captain did not have a positive impact on the field, some did not want him in the Catalan squad.
Here are some of the reactions on X:
One fan wrote:
"Gundogan. Surprised me with how washed he was."
Another wrote:
"Talk about Gundogan howler? He does nothing off the ball. But will later blame someone else with AC Milan Players 😂😂."
"Gundugan starts and all of a sudden the team doesn’t press useless player," chimed in another fan.
One account posted:
"“Gundogan was our best player last season” And you’re wondering why we went trophyless Can’t wait for him to pack his bags next season. Attack me all you want, he is mid and I said this last season too."
Another tweeted:
"The Olmo signing makes much more sense if we’re looking to offload Gündogan and his huge salary for further improvements. Flick’s system demands intensity throughout the game, Gündogan clearly isn’t built for that anymore. He’s also very sloppy defensively."
One user wrote:
"I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gundogan sold if we’re being honest."
While another wrote:
"Reasons why I’m not getting mad at olmo’s signing sooner or later they’ll be space in the midfield."
Barcelona will play against AS Monaco next in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Monday, August 12 at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
AC Milan legend Zlatan Ibrahimović sends message to Barcelona fans ahead of new season
Former AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimović has sent a message to fans of one of his former clubs Barcelona ahead of the new season. The Swedish icon joined the Catalan club in 2009 and continued till 2011, during which he recorded 22 goals and 13 assists in 46 appearances across all competitions.
Ibrahimovic, who has often expressed his appreciation for Barcelona, recently addressed the Blaugrana fans and wished the team the best of luck for the upcoming season. He said (via @FCBarcelona on X) :
"What’s up Barça fans? This is Zlatan. I hope you’re well. I wish you all the best. Good luck for the season! Take care, ciao."
During his time at Camp Nou, Zlatan Ibrahimović won the 2009–10 La Liga, the 2009, and 2010 Supercopa de España, the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.