“Can’t play at the highest level”, “Don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much” - Fans rip apart Manchester City star after defeat to Aston Villa

Fans were unimpressed with İlkay Gündoğan's performance in Manchester City's clash against Aston Villa in the Premier League. The match ended in a 2-1 loss for Pep Guardiola's squad on Saturday at Villa Park.

Jhon Durán opened the scoring for Aston Villa with a left-footed shot from an assist by Morgan Rogers in the 16th minute. The 22-year-old Englishman doubled the score for the hosts after being set up by John McGinn in the 65th minute.

İlkay Gündoğan was replaced by Savinho in the 73rd minute. The German midfielder made 28 touches and one key pass during his time on the pitch while maintaining a pass accuracy of 94%. He did not have any shots on target and lost possession seven times.

Gündoğan returned to Etihad in August as a free agent for a second stint after spending the last season at Barcelona. There has been a decline in his form and contributions in comparison to his last tenure at Manchester City, which was from 2016 to 2023.

Fans expressed their disappointment in İlkay Gündoğan for his display in Manchester City's 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa in the Premier League. Here are some of the reactions from X:

One fan wrote:

"Gundogan can’t play at the highest level again, he’s physically not capable. Barca parting ways with him was the smartest move last summer."

Another added:

"I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much as I hate Gundogan and Walker"

"Is Gundogan in this game?" chimed in another fan.

One account posted:

"The worst thing to ever happen to Man City this season is that he Pep should never open the door of bringing Gundo back to the club"

Another tweeted:

"The best thing Barcelona done this season was allowing Gundogan to leave for free and promoting Casado to the first team."

"It’s more difficult to steal candy from a baby than dispossessing Gundogan," posted another.

One user wrote:

"Why is Gundogan starting every game?? Just why? A lot of respect for him, but he is not capable anymore to play in this EPL level."

"The way Gundogan is starting every game it’s like pep wants him to retire at the end of the season," added another.

While another wrote:

"It pains me to see Gundogan like this... He just keeps losing the ball in dangerous positions. His best is past him sadly."

İlkay Gündoğan has registered two goals and one assist in 22 appearances across competitions for Manchester City this season. Overall, the 34-year-old has recorded 62 goals and 39 assists for 327 appearances for the Premier League side.

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Pep Guardiola on Manchester City's 2-1 loss against Aston Villa in PL

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola shared his thoughts on his squad's defeat in their 17th Premier League clash of the season. The reigning champions had a good start to the ongoing campaign. However, things have not been going well for them recently, with three losses, one draw, and one win in their last five league matches.

About his squad's performance against Aston Villa, Pep Guardiola said (via NBC Sports):

“We make a really good first half, second half we dropped. We changed our pressing for the reason John [Stones] could not continue. Congratulations Aston Villa and keep going."

"In the mid-block they [Villa] are so strong. We have good moments, we had chances, more chances than in the [Manchester] United game, but in the second half we dropped and our pressing was not good enough. We struggled a little bit and we could not drop them well. We found a goal in the end, but too late. We struggle to score and we concede goals,” added the Spanish manager.

Manchester City maintained a ball possession of 55% against Aston Villa, having six shots on target and creating two big chances.