Manchester City may have suffered their first loss, but manager Pep Guardiola’s reaction to the defensive problems displayed is likely far more near-sighted than many believe.
This may come as a great surprise to you, it certainly did to me, but Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City lost a football game last week. I know, after I had just banged out an article about how another win would jettison the man and his team into English Premier League history books no less.
Though City looked good, even dominant in shades, the final ball eluded them in ways Spurs found things falling into place. Two goals conceded and arguably both a result of defensive ineptitude. Ah, certainly, one was an own goal by Alex Kolarov, going to great lengths to prove any hint of a resurgence was a mere blip on the radar of mediocrity, but even the second had it’s origins in a back four that simply couldn’t keep up.
We’ve had plenty of time to digest the humble pie so graciously served, of course. The narrative has quickly switched from mockery, to damage control, to speculation. You can’t suggest Guardiola will sit on his hands after losing to potential title challengers and exposing their flaws, and thus his flaws, so readily. Oh no. Pep’s going to take action, but what?
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Thus we have the strange reappearance of the rumours linking the Blues to Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Juventus’s Leonardo Bonucci. Both were, allegedly, targets of Pep’s over the summer and his failure to land one if not both makes for a natural guesstimate of where City’s priorities will lie with the opening of the January transfer window.
The only problem with this theory is that it’s October. By January it may well be too late for Manchester City and that’s assuming the gamble of waiting on either pays off. In my estimation, that seems unlikely. Bellerin is young and impressionable, perhaps the most promising full-back in the league, but this only serves to make him borderline unmovable from Arsenal, particularly to a title rival.
As for Bonucci, well he got a contract extension with Juventus last year and it could well happen again, lucky man. He’s basically the face of the Juve franchise, a fan-favourite black-and-white iron wall at the back who also happens to be the most prolific passing defender in the game. Now who knows, next summer could change everything.
Arsenal could be without Wenger (yes, we’ve been saying this for an eternity) and Juventus may find the ever-increasing piles of Sheikh Mansour’s money too tempting to say no to, particularly for a then 30-year-old defender, but that’s all pie in the sky.
For now, Pep needs an answer, and, if history has taught us anything, his answer will be turning to the midfield. Pep loves Midfielders. He has, in the past, played with 10 of them on the park at the same time and, if had he found one with reasonably decent arms, he’d have made it 11. Claudio Bravo anyone?
Even at Bayern Munich, where he took less risks than at Barcelona, it wasn’t unusual to see Thiago or others converted to full back on a semi-regular basis. And here’s where Pep is now – City have a bunch of ageing defenders, held up by one single John Stones, who are struggling to adapt to the game plan.
High pressing and attacking football is Guardiola’s forte, but it requires pace and technical skill from the defence to cover longer distances and prevent breaks and dangerous loss of possession. Pablo Zabaleta is getting older and slowing, Kolarov the same, ditto Gael Clichy and you can throw Bacary Sagna in there too. Behind them is a perennially injured Vincent Kompany and a Nicolas Otamendi who hasn’t stopped struggling for form since he arrived in Manchester.
Meanwhile, City have an overabundance of Midfielders. Fernando and Fernandinho essentially fulfil the same role only Fernandinho does it better. Ilkay Gundogan needs more game time and ditto Leroy Sane. What about up-and-coming hopeful Aleix Garcia, a Pep pivot in the making? Even Fabian Delph was used in the role during training.
All these players, and more, may not be natural defenders but this isn’t a necessity as such to succeed at Pep’s system. When the back four are found primarily outside their own half then you know this is a different game. That’s not to say they would have greater success than more traditional options such as Zabaleta and Clichy, but at this point it probably couldn’t hurt.
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Regardless, it’s an option that is more than just a possibility for Pep, it is a legitimate strategy that in many ways lends itself to his ideal far greater than the alternative. Whether he’s ready to take such risks so early in the campaign, particularly since the results have been otherwise beyond expectations, remains to be seen. Just don’t be too surprised if sooner, rather than later, Pep makes a move such as this. Then, who can predict what will happen?