Written By: Alyssa Wheeler
Edited By: Irtaza Khan
With a notorious reputation of buying players and spending massive amounts of money, Manchester City continues to fall short in both the Premier League and Champions League. In the past year, they were knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon, while also landing in 2nd place behind Liverpool. So how does a powerhouse team with a superstar manager and many star players fail to attain any trophies?
The primary issues with the team came from a backline that struggled in cohesivity the past season. In the past years, Nicolás Otamendi and Vincent Kompany have been a centerpiece of Manchester City’s backline, as two consistent center backs who created harmony, and team chemistry which helped the team to win a historic Premier League season. Within recent years however, Manchester City’s defensive chemistry has been on a steep decline. With the introduction of Laporte, and the trials and tribulations of John Stones, the team had dropped to below standard. Ending up as 2nd place in the Premier League and not clinching a Champion’s League trophy were telltale signs that City would need to reinvest in their backline.
Within the transfer window, City purchased Rueben Dias, a young center back from Benficia, and Nathan Aké, another young center back from Bournemouth. The young Eric Garcia has also been introduced to the squad and has been playing with incremental minutes. With these new investments, Manchester City seems to be on the rise compared to previous years, although after suffering a crippling 5 to 2 loss to Leicester City early in the season, the team has some revaluating to do.
The thing that Manchester City lacks is an experienced backline, one with history and chemistry. In past years they had veteran defenders who created cohesivity and chemistry. With so many new young players, it will take a some time for them to become more confident, and better leaders of the backline. Dias seems to be a calm, cool head within the backline, having the potential to become a leader like Kompany within years. He needs to settle in alongside Laporte, and once he can do this the backline of City will have lots of promise. In addition, City will also need to evaluate other aspects of their game to fix their defensive issues. A major flaw in City’s defense is getting back after promising attacks. Manchester City totalled 29 crosses into the box in a single game against Wolves, and with world class strikers and midfielders such as Kevin Debruyne and Sergio Augero, it is evident they are an attack-heavy team. They average around 1.66 goals per game, but also average 1.44 goals allowed per game as a defensive unit. They need to create a plan that minimizes the number of goals conceded, and learn how to slow down quick counter attacks, which heavily contributed to their astounding loss versus Leicester City. Additionally, City tends to concede many penalties, which has cost them many matches.
By having a more disciplined defensive line who do not have to resort to poor challenges in the box, City can become more successful in keeping clean sheets. It appears Aké can help in terms of this. Aké does not commit fully in the defensive line, which reduces the chance of attackers exploiting the space behind him. He has the knowledge and ability to read when to step and press, and when to drop back with the line. This makes Aké a great transfer for City, as players like Otamendi and Stones tend to be caught out which has led to penalties and conceded goals. Conversely, Dias may not be able to help much in this aspect. He is known more for helping his side transition from defense to attack, which is very much typical of City’s style. However, for a team struggling with conceding goals, this characteristic may not be the most useful.
It will be interesting to see how the transfers City has invested in pay off. Both Nathan Aké and Ruben Dias are great players who City envision helping their team. Only time can tell if these players will bring what is needed for City to succeed in both domestic, and international competition.
Alyssa Wheeler
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