One Man City player has struggled more than most in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri

Ilkay Gundogan is a five-time Premier League winner, two-time FA Cup winner, four-time Carabao Cup winner, two-time Community Shield winner and Champions League winner with Manchester City.

But his struggles this season are now potentially costing them in staying at the top.

The 34-year-old German midfielder has been an integral part in City’s recent success, but since his return he’s struggled to reignite his title-winning form.

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Once a player known for stepping up in big moments in title races, Gundogan has found life back in Manchester difficult without the support of De Bruyne and Rodri around him.

With De Bruyne struggling for fitness and Rodri out for the season, Pep Guardiola needs to find a way to help Gundogan become the midfield stalwart City need in the title race.

City lost their fifth match in a row in all competitions to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, and there were many players to point fingers at when the final whistle came.

One of them being Gundogan who struggled to track back and control the midfield in Rodri’s usual position. In these five consecutive losses, he has started four of them and only played the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 loss to Spurs.

In the 17 appearances he’s made this season, he’s contributed just two goals and one assist. De Bruyne has contributed the same this season in seven less matches. If we only watched football through stats, then we could say they clearly speak for themselves when analysing Gundogan’s performance so far this season.

However, even when