JAKARTA - Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan admitted that he did not mind if the Premier League title was given to Liverpool. Currently the competition is suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic or the corona virus.
The Reds are 25 points clear at the top of the table but uncertainty over when the 2019-20 season will continue has led some to predict the league will not be completed.
City grabbed successive titles in the previous two seasons, but Gundogan - who won the Bundesliga under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp during their time together at Borussia Dortmund - will have no problem recognizing the crown to their rivals this season.
Yes, if the league goes according to schedule and Liverpool win every game, Saturday 21 March Klopp's squad should be crowned Premier League winners. Points, the Reds will not be overtaken by City.
Right on that day, Liverpool will travel to Crystal Palace headquarters in Selhurst Park, London. This match is only five days after the Merseyside Derby match against Everton on March 16. Liverpool will definitely win if they win over Everton and Palace.
"It's okay for me (to recognize Liverpool's title). As a sportsman you have to be sportsmanship," told German television station ZDF, Gundogan said. Launch Soccerway, Monday, March 30.
Asked if playing the rest of the season behind closed doors was the best option, Gundogan replied: "Honestly, I can't imagine that - and I don't know how realistic it is.
The English Football Association chose to cancel the season for all clubs under the three National League divisions in non-league football, many of the smaller clubs in England are facing difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
To that end, Gundogan will support top players sacrifice their salaries to help struggling parties during the crisis.
A situation we've never been in before & it shows again that there are far more important things than football. Stay calm and take care of yourself 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/EUxyxU58kQ
- Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) March 13, 2020
"Of course I have no problem (if the league is stopped), of course. (But) for clubs that are at a lower level it is not that easy."
The 29-year-old, who joined City in June 2016, also said he found it difficult during the lockdown imposed by the British government.
"You are sometimes afraid to walk for 10 to 15 minutes outside, even though the weather is strange and ironically very beautiful here in Manchester," said Gundogan.
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