Barcelona summer signing Ilkay Gundogan has been reportedly been “left confused” by the way in which football is playing in La Liga.
He penned a two-year deal with the La Liga champions, with the option of an extra year.
The 32-year-old made his debut in the 0-0 draw with Getafe and then registered an assist for Pedri’s opener in the 2-0 victory over Cadiz last time out.
However, Mundo Deportivo say the Germany international has been a bit taken aback by some of the antics displayed in La Liga.
The Catalan outlet claim Gundogan has been surprised by “the constant time wasting, fouls, attempts to deceive the referee, simulations and provocations”.
After joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, he spent seven years at City in the Premier League, where the aforementioned offences were normally punished harshly.
Journalist Xavier Bosch writes that Gundogan “has hallucinated with the worst side of our football” and shook his head at one point against Getafe.
It’s said that Gundogan is still fitting in and adjusting but manager Xavi Hernandez has already been waxing lyrical about the midfielder, who he believes is the perfect player for the Barcelona philosophy.
It came after a display where Gundogan completed 89 passes and created six chances for his teammates.
“Gundo is a cornerstone for the team,” Xavi told reporters, as per Goal.
“He has the Barça DNA. He never loses possession, makes a difference with the ball, and always takes the right decision. We signed Gündogan to make the difference.”
Barcelona are back in action again this weekend when they travel to Villarreal on Sunday. They are currently sixth in the league after taking four points from their first two fixtures.