Gundogan issues advice to Barcelona youngsters ahead of Real Madrid clash: “It’s important they know how…”

As Barcelona get set to take on Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season on Saturday, senior midfielder Ilkay Gundogan chatted with Esport3 in an interview, previewing the biggest fixture of the La Liga calendar.

The 33-year-old arrived at Barça during the summer transfer window and will be playing his first Clasico, much like Joao Cancelo.

Advice for youngsters

Being one of the most experienced and successful players in the Barcelona dressing room, Gundogan passed on some important advice to the young players within the squad ahead of the Real Madrid encounter.

“The young players are doing extremely well. They will have another chance on Saturday, but it’s important they know how to stay calm and be patient,” Ilkay said, as quoted by SPORT.

Stressing the importance of keeping one’s emotions in check on the evening, the German international added: “It will be a game with a lot of emotion, because it’s a big game, maybe the biggest game of their lives so far.

“We will all have to be calmer and more patient than we have been lately. Matches can’t turn into a back-and-forth like the Shakhtar game, because the penny can drop on either side if that’s the case.”

Going on, Gundogan added: “We must be more in control. In the last few games we have made very simple mistakes that have cost us goals we could have avoided. With my experience, it’s also my job to make them know how to stay calm.”

Praise for Fermin Lopez

Gundogan also spoke about Barcelona’s in-form youngster Fermin Lopez, who is in line to start against Real Madrid tomorrow.

“He is doing very well. He is capable of finding good solutions in all kinds of situations. We are talking about a very good player who can be very decisive. He shoots well with the right, he shoots well with the left, he’s good at making deep passes…,” he stated.

At the same time, though, Gundogan had some advice for the 20-year-old midfield starlet which would help him take his game to the next level.

“But he needs to find the necessary calmness in some moments, if he can find this balance, his level of play will be even higher, this will make him make even better decisions,” the veteran remarked.

On Vinicius Jr.

Leading up to the game, there has been some controversy surrounding Vinicius Jr. as a Barcelona board member, Mikel Camps, lashed out at the Brazilian over his style of play and showboating on the field during the game against SC Braga.

Camps’ comments were unsavoury and were uncalled for, and has added tension between the two clubs.

But, a number of Barcelona players have come out and claimed that they do not find Vinicius’ style ‘provocative’, with Gundogan also echoing the same sentiments.

“Someone may interpret Vinicius’ actions as a provocation, but for me, honestly, they are not. Obviously, he already knows that if he does these things he will be whistled at. But maybe he likes being whistled at, I don’t know…,” he stated.