Gündogan: "It won't be easy"

Ilkay, you've now been at Manchester City for two seasons. What's been your biggest moment at the club?

"Last season was unbelievable. Winning two titles while playing this outstanding brand of football was something very special. It was undoubtedly a crazy achievement to pick up 100 points in the Premier League, which no club has ever managed before. It was one of our targets to set that record – but we're hungry to improve even more."

What's the objective for City this season, particularly in the UEFA Champions League?

"The overarching objective is to improve constantly. We don't consciously identify certain points totals or certain knockout rounds that we want to reach. Our only objective is to play as well as we possibly can in each match – and then success will come by itself. We all obviously want to perform better in the UEFA Champions League than we have in recent seasons, it's an important competition. But we equally want to defend our Premier League title and go far in the domestic cup competitions."

Can you tell us what makes Pep Guardiola so special as a coach?

"Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. His successes in Spain and Germany speak for themselves. Now he's moved to England and guided his team to the title with the highest points tally that's ever been achieved. That demonstrates what an unbelievable coach he is. He's incredibly hungry for success and drives us players on in every training session and every match so that we improve."

Your thoughts on being in a group with Shakhtar, Lyon and Hoffenheim?

"The teams in the UEFA Champions League are all excellent and have all earned the right to be playing in the competition. Some people might believe that the draw was kinder to us than it was to other teams, but that's not how I see it. The match against Lyon (editor's note: 2-1 defeat for City) showed that there are no easy games and that any team can beat any other. We also lost away to Shakhtar Donestsk last season. If we don't play to our limit in every match, then we won't progress. We now need to dust ourselves down after the Lyon game and try to get a good result in Hoffenheim."

What's your take on TSG Hoffenheim?

"The development of the club's been an incredible story and there's been strong growth in recent seasons. They were unlucky to be drawn against Liverpool, the eventual finalists, in the play-offs last year. Now they have the chance to prove themselves in the UEFA Champions League and it's obviously something quite remarkable for everyone involved with the club. Their 2-2 draw in Donetsk showed they have a very good team and want to reach the last 16. Our task is to get a good result. That won't be easy for us, but we're self-confident enough. If we play our best football, we'll go home with the three points."

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