There’s a sense that no one fairly is aware of whether or not Manchester Metropolis are stronger or weaker than they had been final season once they gained the treble.
The Sky Blues have misplaced quite a few key belongings – Ilkay Gundogan, Riyd Mahrez, Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte have all departed – however Pep Guardiola and his recruitment workforce have been busy finding fine quality replacements.
Matheus Nunes is the newest of these, becoming a member of the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku on the Etihad Stadium.
Gundogan’s departure and Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term damage means there needs to be loads of alternatives afforded to the younger Portuguese central midfielder. The place he’ll match into this star-studded Metropolis facet is one other query, and one which Guardiola must reply.
Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez have began all 4 of Man Metropolis’s Premier League matches collectively this season, with the latter usually enjoying simply off his Norwegian strike accomplice as a shadow striker.
That has usually led to Metropolis lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, though Guardiola groups are hardly ever so inflexible or outlined, with Alvarez working in a quantity ten function. That has left the Sky Blues with two central midfield gamers, usually being Rodri and Kovacic.
Rodri acts because the enforcer, disruptor and tempo-setter, whereas Kovacic is obtainable a barely extra superior function by which he can carry the ball ahead and act as a box-to-box midfielder.
Nunes may positively fill the function that Kovacic at present has on this Guardiola facet, boasting quite a few comparable attributes to the Croatian by way of his means to drive the ball up the pitch and retain possession in tight areas.
Potential lineups (when all gamers are match):
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (CM) – Alvarez (AM/SS)
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (CM) – De Bruyne (AM)
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (CM) – Foden (AM)
Guardiola is nothing if not versatile and seemingly has a barely completely different system for each opponent. One formation he has used readily on the Etihad has been a typical 4-3-3 with Rodri in a holding function and two central midfielders forward of the Spaniard.
Guardiola used this technique within the UEFA Tremendous Cup towards Sevilla, a sport his facet gained on penalties, with Rodri, Kovacic and Phil Foden enjoying because the central three. It stays to be seen whether or not Guardiola fully trusts Foden in central midfield, and if he would not then Nunes may revenue.
Nunes may take the function usually reserved for De Bruyne on the right-hand facet of a 3, working within the channel and discovering house deep contained in the opposition half. The Portuguese midfielder clearly lacks a few of the qualities that makes De Bruyne unplayable, however he actually has sufficient means to thrive in that function beneath Guardiola.
Nevertheless, Nunes has solely offered two targets and two assists because the starting of final season, whereas De Bruyne seven targets and 16 assists. There’s nonetheless an enormous gulf in high quality between the 2 midfielders, with Guardiola maybe preferring the elevated attacking risk supplied by Foden or Bernardo Silva.
Potential lineups:
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (DM) – Kovacic (CM)
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (DM) – Foden (CM)
Nunes (CM) – Rodri (DM) – Silva (CM)
