“You think they don’t care about the pressure”- Ilkay Gundogan on learning from Barcelona’s younger generation

Ilkay Gundogan’s arrival at Barcelona has been a breath of fresh air. With all the chaos going on around him, he has kept a very high level, and he is trying to set the standard for the rest of the first team squad.

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Having Gundogan, someone that has been at the top of football for many years, at Barcelona will be perfect of the younger members of Xavi Hernandez’s first team squad. The likes of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi will receive valuable knowledge, but as the German midfielder revealed to Sport, it goes both ways, as he is also learning from the club’s younger generation.

“Of course, it’s a different generation, they grow up differently and you don’t have the same mentality in many things, but honestly, I’m also learning from them, from their perspective.

“I love it when young people train or play, like Lamine or Pau, without thinking too much. They go out and play, and you think they don’t feel the pressure, or they don’t care about the pressure. And in fact, that is what it should be like. And that’s why they are extraordinary, because they don’t care. They know they’re talented and they play.

“When I was sixteen or seventeen years old and they put me on the pitch, I was nervous not to make mistakes. I could even be a bit shy, but we need this freshness, and the squad is very proud that they help us so much.”

Barcelona have built an atmosphere where their younger players are allowed to thrive, and those after Lamine Yamal and Cubarsi can used this as a springboard for their own first team ambitions. It certainly bodes well for the Catalan club, as they aim to return to their former glory in the coming years.