Barcelona need to heed Ilkay Gundogan’s advice or continue losing

Barcelona suffered a dramatic collapse in the quarterfinals of the 2023/24 Champions League, blowing a 3-2 lead from the first leg with a disastrous 4-1 loss to PSG at the Spotify Camp Nou, no less.

The Blaugrana actually took the lead first in the 12th minute via a third goal in the tie from Brazilian right winger Raphinha, but it didn’t take them long to squander it, with former Barcelona man Ousmane Dembele scoring the equalizer. Countryman Kylian Mbappe, who will be Barca’s chief antagonist at Real Madrid next season, grabbed a brace to kill the tie at 6-4 in PSG’s favor.

Ronald Araujo’s red card was the turning point for Barcelona losing

However, the turning point of the match came around 10 minutes before Dembele’s goal, as Ronald Araujo was sent off for an oft-criticized and unnecessary challenge on Bradley Barcola.

The tackle took Barca’s most talented defender off the pitch and sent them down to 10 men against a PSG side with wingers Mbappe and Dembele eager to take advantage. And that they did.

In the aftermath of the match, new Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan wasn’t afraid to openly criticize his younger teammate for the naive mistake of going in on Barcola so early and dooming the Blaugrana in a big match.

What Ilkay Gundogan and Ronald Araujo said

Gundogan said, “To get a red card, to go a player down so early, it just kills the game. We just gave it away in the most simple manner. Let the goalkeeper have a chance to save us or even concede a goal.”

Araujo didn’t seem to take kindly to that bit of criticism, stating, “I prefer to keep to myself what I think about Gündogan’s comments. I have certain values and they have to be respected.”

The Uruguayan center back was defended on social media by fellow defensive players Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto, with both players pointedly saying that Barcelona win and lose as a team.

Ilkay Gundogan is having a great season for Barcelona

Gundogan may be the new man in Barcelona, but he is coming off a treble-winning season. The former Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund star has also been the Blaugrana’s best player in a difficult 2023/24 campaign.

So far this season, Gundogan has played in every minute, even at the age of 33. The indispensable German international has done a little bit of everything, scoring 5 goals with 6 assists while averaging a whopping 2.7 key passes per game and 2.2 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match.

Gundogan criticized Barcelona players earlier this season for their mentality after their defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico, seeing a key difference in how the squad carries themselves as compared to how perennial champions Man City acted during Gundogan’s time in the Premier League.

Ilkay Gundogan can change the culture at Barcelona

Throughout his brief tenure in Barcelona thus far, Gundogan has made valid criticisms of a club that has made losing and collapsing a habit in vital matches, specifically during the Champions League knockouts against other top opponents.

If Barcelona want to break this habit, they need to seriously listen to what Gundogan is saying instead of walling themselves off criticism in a bubble that creates an echo chamber of false security.

There is no doubt that Barcelona is one of the most iconic and elite clubs in European football, yet they are consistently not living up to that level. Someone like Gundogan can come in and change the culture back to a winning one, but he can only do it if the current crop and next generation of players are willing to embrace what it takes to be elite.