There is hardly any team in Europe that is playing as well as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the moment. Guardiola has completely transformed the way the Sky Blues play their game and his squad are firm favourites for the Premier League.
Stars like Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane have seen their game improve largely under the former Catalan boss. The team has hit a perfect balance and there seems to be a very small room for improvement. The defenders, midfielders and the forwards have gelled really well with each other but if one delves deeper, there is a small issue with the team.
No Premier League team has ever won the league without a quality defensive midfielder. Whether it is N’Golo Kanté or Nemanja Matic, defensive midfielders have proved their worth repeatedly in recent years. Pep Guardiola is fortunate to have the services of Fernandinho.
The Brazilian veteran is an indispensable part of the team and his impeccable passing ability combined with his high work ethic makes him a tough player to replace in the team. However, Fernandinho is already 32 years of age and does not have many years of professional football left. Yaya Toure is already at the twilight of his career and Guardiola can’t really rely on Gundogan as the German is pretty injury prone.
To ensure that all bases are covered, Guardiola could sign Liverpool star Emre Can. The German international’s contract expires next summer which means he’ll be available for pre-contract negotiations this coming January. And reports indicate he could snub Juventus for a move to the Etihad.
What will Emre Can offer Man City?
Can is an extremely talented box-to-box midfielder who can close up spaces, link up with forwards, march forward to provide decisive passes and does his defensive duties arduously.
He has slowly developed to become a fan-favourite at Anfield and that is a clear testament to his talent. Can’s statistics are largely impressive and you get a certain feeling that he has been underrated over the years.
The German midfielder attempts 2.5 tackles in each game and intercepts an average of 1.4 balls in every ninety minutes. He is a strong lad who stays on his feet and can win over the opposition’s midfield through his skills on the ball as well as his sturdiness and dominating physical presence.
He can play in advanced positions too and is a real threat going forward. The former Bayer Leverkusen man uses his good passing skills to create chances for his forwards. Pep Guardiola would be delighted to work with a talented and hardworking individual like Can.
He is also pretty versatile, so that’ll help Guardiola. He’s playing in a setup at Liverpool which isn’t all that different from that of Guardiola’s, so the acclimatisation time could be less at Man City. For a free transfer, Man City will be getting a top player.
