Ilkay Gundogan has become a scourge in the Barcelona camp in the face of calamity.
The midfielder does not appear to hold himself back when Barcelona perform poorly on the pitch. Six months ago, he came out quite strongly against Barça’s performance against Real Madrid in El Clasico – something that wasn’t taken well by his teammates.
However, Gundogan did it again last night, publicly criticising Barcelona’s performance against PSG and highlighting the mistakes the team made on the night.
Teammates come in support of Gundogan
While many had raised their eyebrows when Gundogan publicly criticised the team’s performance against Real Madrid, the reaction has mellowed down this time around.
According to Diario AS, many of his Barcelona teammates supported Gundogan’s assessment of the match and had no qualms with the German publicly criticising the team.
Against Real Madrid, Gundogan was even asked to justify his words and provide explanations behind his comments.
This time around, not even a single Barcelona player asked for any justification. Gundogan has not been urged to rectify his statement either.
What’s next?
Gundogan’s entourage maintains that it is the midfielder’s way of speaking – direct and open. And although the midfielder has received support from his teammates, it remains to be seen how others react to the scathing criticism.
Ronald Araujo, in particular, found himself on the crosshair of Gundogan as the German pointed out his mistake that led to a red card.
Araujo is slated to come out with a book next week and it will be interesting to see whether or not he addresses the issue there or opts to settle down the matter.
One thing is for sure – the atmosphere in the Barcelona dressing room is tense right now, which in turn, could hinder the club’s preparation for the highly-anticipated El Clasico this weekend.
