Transfers of Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo make Man City’s full-back plans more challenging.

In his first season at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola was so committed to utilising full-backs in his

 

 

game plan that the Blues spent close to £150 million on Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, and Danilo.

Aleks Zinchenko, Fabian Delph, Angelino, and Sergio Gomez have all joined or have been used to

fill the long-standing problem position since Joao Cancelo was recruited for £60 million in the

interim. Only Walker and Cancelo

may be regarded as successful acquisitions, however Zinchenko was a reliable employee before

departing in the summer of 2016.

It’s telling that City won the triple with a back four made up of center backs, despite Guardiola’s

dedication to full-backs and struggles to really resolve his left-back conundrum. Walker was

benched in Istanbul, Cancelo was fired in January, and young Rico Lewis seriously upset the

balance of the team.

John Stones and Nathan Ake’s transformation into inverted full-backs has given City new

alternatives for the upcoming season, but Walker and Cancelo’s futures still need to be decided.

Walker Kyle

 

 

Where he can improve: Walker’s strengths from right-back are typically what allow someone else to

push into midfield as he reinforces the defense as a back three. If he stays, though, Walker will be

expected to match the likes of Stones and Lewis when it comes to inverting into midfield. As a more

conventional right-back, he demonstrated in his usefulness in providing the breadth that City has

lost with the departure of Riyad Mahrez.

What is his season’s primary goal? It will have to convince Guardiola that he has a crucial role to

play, especially in the important games and finals at the conclusion of the season, assuming he

stays. He was described as “irreplaceable” by the manager in terms of his specific qualities, so using

those to his advantage could be the key to getting the games he wants.

There is no way to predict how much he will play. He participated in all three preseason contests

and had a significant impact on the 2017–18 campaign, including the FA Cup final. However, the

Champions League final snub will stick in his mind more, and it appears that Guardiola wants to

employ Stones and Manu Akanji at right back more frequently. His rivals will become more

formidable than ever if he stays.

Cancelo, Joao

 

 

What he can do better: His attitude, to put it diplomatically. Cancelo’s versatility as a traditional

right-back,

improvised left-back, or inverted full-back off either side is undeniable. He almost developed the

inverted role, but he watched others take it to a new level, and when he dropped down the pecking

order in January, he didn’t handle it well. He is another who might quit, and getting back into

Guardiola’s good graces seems to be a challenge. The new system obviously favors a player like

Cancelo, therefore he should start by demonstrating his willingness to play the rotation game.

His primary objective this season is to play games, for his own enjoyment. He’ll most likely spend

more time away from City, yet that depends on a club offering an acceptable fee. If he stays, his aim

is a simple one – fight his way back into Guardiola’s plans and help offer a useful alternative to the

four centre-backs plan.Who knows how much he’ll play; it largely depends on Cancelo. He may

cover at right-back and fill the void at left-back. Cancelo might even play in midfield if Guardiola

decides to use Rico Lewis and others there. Cancelo is, maybe more than any other player, the one

whose game time is the most difficult to forecast.

Rico Lewis

What he can do better: The kid participated in three preseason games at right back, left back, and

midfield, respectively. Even if a fullback is excellent, he can still improve defensively, and it’s fair to

suggest an 18-year-old has a lot to learn. Perhaps some work needs to be done on his physique, but

as he gets older, it will happen organically.

There are tactical advantages to playing more forward as well, if Guardiola wants to employ him

more frequently in midfield. Lewis only needs to keep learning and getting better because he has so

far handled all that has been thrown at him.

His primary goal this season is to solidify himself as a first-team option following a highly

promising breakout season. Then, he must try to improve his technique in any position he plays.

Again, there is no need to push Lewis, who is only 18 years old, and there is no reason to believe

that this season won’t be equally fruitful as the last.Will he play a lot? Last season, he mostly played

in’second choice’ games when the stakes were lower or the starting

XI needed a break. Despite this, he still managed to play in pivotal matches against Spurs, Arsenal,

Liverpool, and Chelsea as well as a few Champions League matches. He might use that to get to the

game if he can offer Guardiola something that others can’t.

Sagio Gomez

Where he can improve: Although Gomez was signed as a left-back, he appears to be far down the

list of left-back candidates. In the preseason, Gomez was preceded on the left side of defense by five

players, and Josko Gvardiol can also play there. Gomez played very briefly on the wing, but it will

be difficult for him to frequently replace Jack Grealish. His best strategy appears to be to improve

his defense if he wants to win games.

What is his season’s primary goal? He emphasized that he would not leave the Etihad to compete

for a spot because he wants to play. Being the sixth or seventh choice at left-back is an immediate

problem, but he might believe that his under-21 Euros Golden Boot performance could lead to

more playing time in attack. He will want to improve on his lackluster supporting role from last

term wherever he appears.

He currently doesn’t play a lot, but he will. There are some opportunities in the cup matches and

Champions League group games, but they will mostly depend on who departs before the transfer

deadline and where Gomez wants to play between full-back and the wing. Both positions are

challenging as the Community Shield opener approaches.