The biggest difference that helps Man City complete the treble in the 2022/23 season comes from the appearance of four tall defenders in the squad. Soon, “The Citizens” has more Josko Gvardiol.
On August 21, Pep Guardiola left Newcastle’s St. James’s Park with a few thoughts in mind. Previously, Man City was held to a 3-3 draw by the host in the third round of the Premier League.
Man City played not bad, but still let the opponent score 3 goals. Pep quickly realized the problem, his team was lacking a central defender. To perfect the machine, Man City spent £ 15 million to buy Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund. All club problems are solved.
It is estimated that Man City spent more than £225 million on improving the quality of the defense in the past 7 years. That number is about to increase by 86 million pounds (100 million euros) if “The Citizens” complete the task of bringing Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to the Etihad Stadium.
The season 2022/23 witnessed the sublimation of the Man City defense. They have an excellent goalkeeper in goal, Ederson – who saved Romelu Lukaku’s close-range header in the UEFA Champions League final. The sentence in the defense of the representative of Manchester includes Ruben Dias, Nathan Aka, Akanji. Playing a little higher than this trio has John Stones, a central defender upgraded by Pep to a defensive midfielder. One of the most impressive inventions of the Catalan strategist.
Except for Ake, the other central defenders of Man City have an average height of 1.83 m or more. They are like powerful giants in defence. Seen horizontally, the central defenders “The Citizens” are truly majestic and scarier than any defense at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola.
In the 2022/23 season, Man City conceded 33 goals in the Premier League, 7 more goals than a year ago. In the Champions League, “The Citizens” only conceded 5 goals on the way to winning the championship. Statistics don’t lie. The “tough” defense became one of the important factors leading the representative of Manchester to success.
In the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League season 2022/23, Bayern made 32 passes in the last third of the field. It was also a match Bayern played away, still holding the ball up to 56%, launching up to 12 shots (4 of which were on target).
However, when the final whistle sounded, Man City crushed the opponent 3-0. It’s not Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva…, “The Citizens” defense with Stones, Dias and Ake that received many compliments. Stones was named Player of the Match. Dias shows strength and authority. Ake had one of the best games of his career.
The night at the Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England), Man City defended in a very different way, they had to go deep. The factor that made Pep unhappy, even though the home team won boldly. “We defend when we keep the ball. When we have the ball, that’s the way to defend. To score, the opponent has to have the ball. The less they hold the ball, the more chances we have to keep a clean sheet,” said Pep. .
But the former Barca captain also did not forget to praise the four central defenders. “For 90 minutes, they were very focused. The players always kept their composure. They defended too well today. The players were always in the right position when needed,” the 52-year-old strategist said.
The use of four central defenders is considered the biggest difference of Man City this season. Factors that helped them win the treble, including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup. Pep also learned the lesson that only with a solid defense, the trophies will come closer to the club.
Currently, the Man City squad is perfect in each position. They have the best strikers, attacking midfielders, and defenders in the world. However, “The Citizens” still need to upgrade the quality of the defense in the context that Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte are likely to leave.
Gvardiol is Pep’s “dream contract”
Man City decided to give up the Declan Rice deal, but they will almost win the race for Gvardiol’s signature. The Daily Mail describes the RB Leipzig midfielder as a “dream contract” with the Premier League champions. Gvardiol will arrive at Etihad not only to replace Laporte, but also to upgrade the quality of the club’s defence.
Once, Pep explained that with a natural left-footed centre-back, he could open up a whole new range of passing angles from behind. “With a right-footed player standing on the left sideline, he often has to shift in the middle when receiving the ball to pass with his right foot correctly,” said Pep.
“And when a ‘left-footer’ moves to forefoot, he can help the team make a diagonal pass right there. If it’s a right-footed player and does that task, this is this. will be more complicated,” the former Barca captain continued.
What Pep needs, Gvardiol can completely meet. “When I win the ball, my first goal is to go forward and hit as many passes across the pitch as possible,” the Croatian midfielder said. Even with this approach, Gvardiol still achieved an 89% pass accuracy rate in a RB Leipzig shirt last season.
Gvardiol’s strength lies in his calm. This is an innate element of the 21-year-old midfielder, helping him to always keep a “cool head” in all the hottest situations. “I guess the calm and composure I have on the pitch is something I’m born with,” Gvardiol said. “It came naturally.
Coach Marco Rose of RB Leipzig also agrees with his students. “Gvardiol is amazingly mature for his age. That comes both on and off the pitch,” commented the German strategist.
At this point, a debate broke out over whether Gvardiol was worth more than £85 million (€100 million). The Croatian midfielder is progressing as well as going through the 2022 World Cup finals successfully. Even when Leo Messi turned him into a “boy” in a 1 vs 1 situation in the semi-finals, it did not reduce Gvardiol’s value.
“The way Gvardiol plays, with his grace and control, is amazing,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. “Gvardiol is the best defender in the world.”