Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan has revealed the biggest thing he has learned working under boss Pep Guardiola.
The Germany international has played under the Spanish coach since 2016, joining City's ranks in a deal worth around £20m, and has picked up plenty of tricks of the trade in his time at the Etihad.
Back-to-back Premier League titles have followed, along with six other items of silverware.
But now the former Borussia Dortmund man has revealed to ESPN the main thing he has added to his game since working for Guardiola - and it all comes down to his understanding of space.
City's expansive style under Guardiola was plain for all to see as early as his first season with the club and that stems from ensuring his players understand the approach, says Gundogan, who revealed the pressure he puts on his superstars to perform.
He said: “It’s not easy. He has high expectations for all of us, not just the midfielders but the strikers, goalkeepers and defenders too.
“He has a plan, just like all other managers, but I think the way he is always thinking about the game in such details, tactically, it makes it very tough and challenging for every individual to get into the system.
“I see it as a challenge but that is something positive for me and I think I did quite well over the last few years.
“I can, of course, improve and I can put more into the team than I did, so I take every training session seriously and I try to perform in every training session - that’s how you become one of the top players.
“I don’t want to fail a pass in the training session as much as I don't want to do it in the game.
“If you focus on this during the sessions then that shows in the games.”
He continued: “I think the biggest thing I have learned from Pep Guardiola is to visualise the spaces on the field where you have one player more [than the opposition].
“I try to see the game more as one now. I try to see every single corner of the field and I try to always be ready and be focussed for every possible situation.
“Where will the opposition try to attack me? Where can I turn? Where is my teammate free?
“When I play as a defensive midfielder I get to touch the ball a lot and I can be quite creative in that position.
“And I can learn to see the whole game as one and that is something I have not done before and that is mainly because of Pep’s input.”
