Substitution Art: Ilkai Gondwana came in to bring Manchester City a championship

He preferred Guardiola over reunion with revered mentor Klopp at Liverpool in 2016, and yesterday the most decorated German in Premier League history decided the championship battle in the most classic way possible - as the third replacement.

How unfortunate that the Premier League went after the herd and next season will allow for five substitutions

Michael Yochin

23/05/2022

Monday, May 23, 2022, 11:00 p.m.

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Summary of Manchester City's 2: 3 victory over Aston Villa and winning the English Championship (Sport 1)

Some will disagree, but five substitutions per team - the change that came in response to the Corona plague and took root to stay with us forever - is very damaging to football.

It not only gives a built-in advantage to the rich teams with the wider staffs, not only allows them to sign even more stars because everyone will find a use.

It also lowers the value of the place in the lineup, and perhaps worse - destroys the art of replacement.

Half of the outfielders are replaced, the lineup with the final whistle is barely reminiscent of what it was with the opening whistle, and tracking the tactical thought of coaches becomes quite problematic because most of the time there is no such thought at all.

The procedure now is to simply throw all the bench players onto the lawn - and that's it.

In the Premier League this season did not go with the herd and continued to limit the number of substitutions to three per team.

It is a pity that the management was finally broken into pressure, and next season the tradition will also be trampled on in the kingdom.

So yesterday, in the dramatic graduation cycle, we said goodbye to this right law.

We said goodbye to him in style.

Pep Guardiola's third replacement is the one that brought Manchester City the championship title in the battle against Aston Villa.

After all, the dilemma was not trivial.

He had already reorganized the defense when he put Alexander Zinchenko in the half to replace Fernandinho who did not keep up - the Brazilian really did not need another 45 minutes in the parting game because they could have left a bitter taste in the uniform at the end.

He has already sent Raheem Sterling to the pitch in place of Riyad Mahraz who has shown inefficiency.

Now Jack Grillish, the hero of a villa that became the most valuable player in the history of Manchester City last summer, has warmed up to the lines and has since been defined as a kind of flop.

He waited impatiently for an opportunity to prove himself in the most important moment of all, against the ex, and against Filippa Coutinho who was signed to his slot in January.

The temptation to combine it was great, and if Pep had had more than one spare up his sleeve, he would probably have done so.

But there was only one, a decisive decision was required - and instead of betting on his last purchase he went for the first.

Greet Ilkai Gonduane with a round of applause.

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Instead of betting on his latest acquisition, Guardiola went for the first.

Gondwana after the 2: 3 yesterday (Photo: Reuters)

A lot of spicy stories were yesterday around the cycle that decided the fate of first place.

Steven Gerrard led the march - Liverpool's big idol is now Aston Villa manager who dreamed of giving his former team the most precious gift of all.

Coutinho, who missed out on the championship with him in red because of that slip in 2014, was by his side this time, and did his duty with a brilliant goal that set 0: 2.

On the other hand, the only Englishman in Wolves' Anfield squad, captain Conor Cody, is a scout who grew up in Liverpool's academy.

Raoul Jimenez, the Mexican Wolves striker who cooked up their opening goal in the opening, is a passionate Liverpool fan who has always dreamed of playing in the media.

We've talked enough about Grillish.

And Gondwana also had a great story, because he's one of Jürgen Klopp's most important exes.

In the summer of 2011, when he was required to replace Nuri Shahin, because the Barometer of Borussia Dortmund who won the championship insisted on moving to Real Madrid, Kloppo signed another German of Turkish descent who met the requirements.

Gonduan arrived from Nuremberg, immediately joined the team and won the championship in 2012.

A year later, he was dominant in qualifying for the Champions League final, where he was honored to score against Bayern Munich.

Then, in the first game of the 2013/14 season, he again scored against the Bavarians, in a spectacular personal operation in the German Supercup.

This time Dortmund also won, Guardiola's debut as Bayern coach was pretty dismal, but at least he fell in love with the rival star.

Since then he has nurtured the hope of working with Gonduan.

In practice, Gonduan was supposed to move to Barcelona, ​​which marked him as the ideal acquisition, and perhaps the move would have taken place as early as 2014 after the World Cup in Brazil, but fate wanted otherwise.

Gonduan was injured in the back, missing for more than a year, received medical treatment in a secret operation at a Russian hospital in the Crimea, and at one point had doubts about the continuation of his career.

He was not at the World Cup, and did not move to Camp Nou.

Instead, he gradually recovered in Dortmund, and in 2016 he was beaten by two coaches in the Premier League.

Klopp, who wanted to build the Liverpool link around him, was sure he would have priority thanks to his early acquaintance, but Guardiola overtook him.

"I want you to be my first acquisition," he made it clear to Ilkay when he was appointed Manchester City coach.

And so it was, for only £ 20 million. Fifth Grillish.

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One of Klopp's most important exes.

Gondwana with coach in Dortmund (Photo: GettyImages, Matthias Hangst)

Six years have passed since then, and ahead of the last round there have been reports in England that Manchester City are planning to part ways with the German.

His current contract expires in 2023, and this is the last chance to make some money on him before he becomes a free agent next summer.

Pep resolutely dismissed these rumors.

"If it's up to me, I want Ilkay here next season," he clarified unequivocally, even saying Gonduan was spotted at Manchester airport on Monday because he was flying to get married in Copenhagen, and not for the purpose of negotiating his future.

The timing of the wedding, ahead of the lockout cycle, was a bit odd, but Gonduan returned to the happy roster in such a formative week of his life.

Yesterday it turned out he was even more constitutive.

The art of substitution is to identify the player who is able to make the best use of the opponent's weaknesses, as they are revealed to the coach during the confrontation.

Manchester City were 1-0 behind (which grew to 2-0 seconds after Gonduan stepped on the grass), and desperately needed a player who knew how to locate free spaces in the field and get into them at the right time.

During last season, in which he shifted to a more forward position and scored 17 goals in all competitions, Gonduan proved just those abilities.

"He has a fantastic sense of goals. He does not arrive a little ahead of time or a little after time, but just in time. In addition, he is cool. He makes the right decisions," Guardiola said of him at the time.

This time, as we saw on the pitch, Gonduan was given clear instructions to enter the space of a villa plaza between right-back Matty Cash and the brakes.

He turned Cash, who scored the visitors' advantage in the first half, from a hero to a weak point.

And during the blitz, in which City turned a 2-0 deficit into a 2: 3 five-minute lead, all exchanges worked.

Sterling cooked with perfect elevation towards the far beam the shrinking shot gate of Gonduan.

Zitzenko, who was once again fantastic as an attacking left-back, provided the assist for Rodry's equalizer.

Then came Kevin de Bruyne - because how is it possible without his cooking?

- and allowed Gonduan to get ahead of Cash again to complete the most precious and happy duo of his life.

With a chord like that, he might really be worth leaving.

Better than that just could not be.

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Pep really does not think about parting (Photo: GettyImages, Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA)

In those five minutes, Gonduane became the new version of Con Aguero.

Just a week and a half ago Manchester celebrated a decade for the Aguaruooooooo against the Queens Park Rangers, who closed out a turnaround in injury time and gave the Blues their first championship in the Premier League era.

Even then, by the way, Roberto Mancini's replacements played a vital role.

Edin Dzeko, who came on in the 68th minute (just like Gonduan yesterday), tied at 2-2 at the time of injury.

Mario Balotelli, who came on in the 75th minute, donated his only cooking in City uniform to the Argentine scorer whose statue has now been inaugurated.

So this time we did not have to wait for the 93rd minute, and the script was a little different, but the result is the same result - a breathtaking comeback and a 2: 3 victory that yields gold medals.

Gonduan was then promoted to the rank of Aguero, and some argue that he too deserves a statue near the stadium.

He is the most decorated German in the Premier League with four championships, and unexpectedly he is also the most prolific German in the history of the English league.

And he also knows how to thank the opponent when needed, especially when she is guided by his revered mentor.

"Had Liverpool not played like that, the league would have been less attractive. They finished just one point behind us, and made us make the most of ourselves. It's a sad day for them, but we have to appreciate what they do," he said.

He's really lucky - his career was shaped by Klopp and Guardiola.

And despite the injuries, it's a very glorious career.

Yesterday she just got the official stamp on it.

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• Ilkai Gonduan

• Pep Guardiola

• Manchester city