Pep Guardiola Praises Ilkay Gundogan After Shakhtar Win, Norwich Criticism

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola singled out Ilkay Gundogan after Wednesday's 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League, praising his performance just days after he drew criticism for his outing in the 3-2 loss against Norwich City. 

Per Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola was asked whether the German doesn't get enough credit, and he pointed out how pivotal he was in last year's Premier League title run:

"Definitely, but he gets the credit from all of us, not just myself. He's an exceptional player. Also he knows how good he has to play, as there are many others in that position.

"We have problems  at centre back but we have good players in other positions. I'm satisfied with his performance today and ever since we've been here together.

"People are starting to look at what he's done. Without him last season when Fernandinho was out we couldn't have won the Premier League in the way we did. He can play in two or three different positions and against Shakhtar he made an outstanding performance."

Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press

Gundogan scored the second of three goals in Wednesday's win in Ukraine, while putting together a strong outing as the team's creative outlet in midfield.

The Guardian's Jamie Jackson highlighted the former Borussia Dortmund man as the standout player:

It stood in stark contrast to his performance over the weekend, when Norwich harassed the 28-year-old every time he got the ball in a shock 3-2 upset. Gundogan was taken off less than an hour into the contest.

Here are the highlights from that match:

Gundogan was a crucial player for the Citizens last season, making 23 starts in the Premier League and playing some of his best football toward the end of the campaign.

He was the main replacement for Fernandinho when the Brazilian suffered an injury, and despite being unfamiliar with the more defensive role, he excelled during the lengthy 14-match win streak that saw the Sky Blues beat Liverpool in the title race by a single point.

He also put his passing ability on full display in a record-breaking outing against Chelsea:

Gundogan signed a new deal with City in August that will keep him under contract until 2023, and he appears set to remain a key figure under Guardiola for the foreseeable future.