Whether it’s Xavi’s return to Barcelona or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s demise at Manchester United, matters of footballing identity and philosophy are at the forefront when it comes to the next generation of coaches plotting their path from the dugout.
There are plenty of reasons for this. In the examples stated, a neurosis over playing in a historically fitting or correct way pervades at both clubs.
But it is also the case that elite footballers of the 21st century need a reason for doing this. They need “an idea” as Pep Guardiola would put it.
The likes of Solskjaer, Xavi and their contemporaries became millionaires as players. They do not need to work long hours, suffer waves of opprobrium and force their blood pressure into gymnastics to keep a roof over their heads.
In decades past, players were compelled to coach after retirement as the next stage of a lifetime being financially dependant upon the game. Now, you really have to be compelled to become a dressing room boss. If you don’t want the hassle, you absolutely do not have to have it.
This means plenty of fine football brains will be lost to a long, luxurious post-career. It would be a shame if Ilkay Gundogan shuffled smoothly away from the limelight as he does opponents when the time comes.
Manchester City’s Germany international addressed the media ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain and it’s always a delight to listen to him when he takes to the top table ahead of boss Guardiola.
Always thorough, considered and precise in his answers irrespective of the question, your first thought is that Ilkay would be a lovely chap to share a coffee with.
Then it occurs he could easily run a dressing room with quiet authority. As part of his press conference, he tackled subjects from the modern midfielder to the inverted full-back and the false nine - tactical matters open to jargon and waffle (please do feel free to visit my author page ) that Gundogan laid out in clear and insightful fashion.
PSG’s exquisite Italy midfielder Marco Verratti was on the agenda and Gundogan, who was laid up injured as the Ligue 1 giants won the initial group encounter 2-0, outlined the under-rated quality that makes his counterpart so special.
“It feels like he loves situations when he is under pressure from one, two, three opponents and is still able to choose the right solution for every single action,” he said.
“For my experience, playing a similar position where it gets always tighter and tighter, there is not much space in the centre of the game. These kinds of situations are the hardest ones and how he deals with these situations and how he solves them is quite impressive.”
Joao Cancelo is one of Gundogan’s teammates who is earning rave reviews at present, but the midfielder was also keen to give credit to some of the more unglamorous elements where the Portugal international has started to excel.
“He was really able in the last few months to minimise mistakes and to maximise the outcome of his individual situations,” he said.
“He is rarely losing the ball and, with the ball, it feels like he is always able to find solutions, whether it’s dribbling or a pass or a decisive moment like he has had in the last few games.
“He is a joy to watch, an attacking full-back but defending one on one he is quite strong. That gives us the right balance.”
There was also a spotlight on Gundogan’s game himself, given his happy knack for timing goalscoring runs into the box when City operate without a conventional striker.
“I think when you don’t have a real striker on the pitch you still need to be careful that when you are able to break through the opponent’s lines and, when the wingers put a cross in, you still need to have players in the box," he added.
“You need to have players who are able to approach into the box, who are able to fill out the spaces and who are able to score. I think our game is quite flexible, we have players who are able to adapt up front and get into the right situations.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, you need to have players up front once you are able to break through and this is going to get you goals.”
After 15 minutes in Gundogan’s company, you feel like you understand more about something you love - which puts his Zoom calls a level above anything most of us experienced during lockdown.
Now 31, he is distilling a unique breadth of insight. He was a key member of Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund side that made it back-to-back Bundesliga crowns in 2011/12 and reached the Champions League final the following season, where Gundogan scored in a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich.
He thrashed away at heavy metal football with the very best, but he was the wrong side of a couple of serious knee injuries by the time he became a similarly indispensable figure to Guardiola’s City - a different player but one operating at a similar level of excellence.
Having thrived under the two finest coaches of his generation, there must be so much for him to pass on. One day, “Ilkay’s at the wheel” might have a very nice ring to it.
Which current City player do you think could become an elite manager? Follow our City Is Ours editor Dom Farrell on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
