Turkish-origin German footballer Ilkay Gundogan has been carrying his Manchester City teammates in the English Premier League and the Champions League, scoring four goals in the side's last two matches.
However, speaking to Anadolu Agency after Tuesday night's victory against Barcelona at City's Etihad Stadium, Gundogan praised his coach and teammates.
"It was not easy for us. I came here having an injury problem," said Gundogan. "My teammates and coaches helped me a lot. I need to get used to playing a full 90 minutes."
City defeated Barcelona 3-1 in a hard-fought clash thanks to Gundogan's two goals and Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne's free kick.
The 26-year-old midfielder said Barcelona played "great football" in the first 25 minutes with the Catalans going 1-0 up.
"But we did not give up and equalized the score in the first half, and found two more goals in the second half," said Gundogan. "Our manager Pep Guardiola told us to stay calm throughout the match. All in all, you are playing against the best team in the world. But our style of play looks like Barcelona's because of Guardiola."
Guardiola, regarded as one of the best players of his generation in the 1990s, managed Barcelona between 2008 and 2012.
City returned to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday after an emphatic 4-0 win against West Bromwich Albion -- Gundogan scored two goals and made an assist in that win.
Speaking about his team's title chances and whether he is now used to playing in England, Gundogan said the Premier League is "a tough, contentious one".
"Every opponent is full of quality in the league. Every match is tough for us but we have a very good team and a very good manager. We are currently at the top of the standings and we want to preserve this throughout the season," the German midfielder added.
When asked about who can give City a tough time in the league this season, Gundogan said: "Right now it seems as these teams are Arsenal and Liverpool. But there are Tottenham and Chelsea as well. Manchester United can make a comeback as well. We need to bag three points as much as possible to become the champions."
Arsenal and Liverpool currently share top spot with Manchester City with 23 points. Chelsea have 22 points and Tottenham are on 20.
The Germany international is of Turkish origin; his parents migrated to Germany's Gelsenkirchen city from Turkey's Balikesir city in the western Marmara region.
Gundogan, who played for Borussia Dortmund for six seasons between 2011 and 2016, was transferred to Manchester City at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season for €22 million [$24 million].
