This weekend’s Manchester Derby will see two heavyweights lock horns.
No, we’re not talking about the Scandi-sensations Rasmus Hojlund and Erling Haaland, but rather the showdown between football’s two most expensive defenders.
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Gvardiol is settling in just fine with Man CityCredit: Getty
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Maguire was the hero for Man United in thier last fixtureCredit: Getty
Harry Maguire must have been relieved when Josko Gvardiol took over the mantle of the costliest defender in history over the summer. Finally, Maguire had been freed from his shackles.
It was a stick with which to unfairly beat the 30-year-old, who has, to his credit, put in a series of solid display for Manchester United of late.
For Gvardiol, he has made a seamless transition from Bundesliga to Premier League football. Despite Manchester City spending a reported €90million to secure his services, the 21-year-old hasn’t looked out of place in English football.
In fact, with everything that has happened with City in recent weeks, little has been made of the speed with which Gvardiol has adjusted to the rigours of English football.
The Croatia international is tailormade for the style of football Pep Guardiola seeks to implement given both his skillset and versatility. Able to cover at both centre-back and left-back, Guardiola’s desire to sign Gvardiol as a replacement for Aymeric Laporte was understandable given the in-game tactical flexibility his arrival presented to the Spaniard.
While City have nominally lined up in a 4-2-3-1 setup this season, they rarely remain in such a regimented setup with a fluid system key to their success under Guardiola.
As such, while Gvardiol may show at left-back on the teamsheet, in reality he’ll often push forward to operate as an auxiliary midfielder or tuck in to forge a three-man backline. In either role, Gvardiol has succeeded.
A key trait for any City player is their willingness to get the ball down and pick out a teammate with ease, and Gvardiol is no exception. He ranks fourth for forward passes (143) of all City players in the Premier League this season, reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of ‘Passing’
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Gvardiol has been a fine replacement for Laporte and has the potential to get even betterCredit: Getty
In a dominant City side – they rank first for possession (63.3 per cent) in England’s top tier this term – the desire to receive the ball and instigate attacks from the back is key to the way City play.
Some for City have previously struggled in the opening months of their time under Guardiola however Gvardiol has quickly become part of the furniture at the Etihad Stadium. In a Guardiola managed side where they play a particular system that means they need to control proceedings; this is a huge accomplishment for the young defender.
There isn’t much to shout home about with his performances but in turn; he hasn’t really put a foot wrong either. What’s perhaps most exciting for City, though, is that there is undoubtedly more to come from Gvardiol.
Yes, the former RB Leipzig man has made an immediate impact in Manchester, and yet a pass success rate of 87.5 per cent for a team where the defenders regular post numbers in excess of 90 per cent shows that there is perhaps room for slight improvement.
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Gvardiol is performing key passes rather than defensive interventions at Man CityCredit: Getty
Of course, much of this could be down to Gvardiol playing at full-back rather than centre-back, meaning he is more adventurous with his distribution as he has fewer outlets to utilise compared to the central defenders in the City ranks.
Both Gvardiol (0.7) and right-back Kyle Walker (1) rank second and first, respectively, for key passes per 90 of City defenders, while the duo rank higher than the centre-backs for accurate long balls per 90.
Nevertheless, he boasts the relevant composure both on and off the ball that means he should be a first team regular for years to come at the Etihad Stadium. City didn’t necessarily take a risk on spending big to sign Gvardiol but making a player so young the most expensive defender in world football comes with added pressure.
No matter your stature in the game, mistakes and shortcomings are magnified as fans seek to find any errors that can be used to prove that City overspent on Gvardiol.
And yet they will find few, if any, such faults, and such little fanfare on Gvardiol means he has been able to focus on settling into his new surroundings and playing his part in a watertight City backline.
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