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After overcoming travel issues for their Asian tour, Manchester City have enjoyed a solid pre-season campaign thus far. Attacking wise, the 'Cityzens' have been at their fluent best but, the defensive shape has been a matter of concern for Pep Guardiola.
Until now, in their four pre-season games, Man City have kept only one clean sheet. The departure of Vincent Kompany - a helming presence in Blue's defence, has left a telling void in Guardiola's defence. Currently, the Premier League champions have just three central defenders at their disposal.
A paucity of central defenders means that there could be a few fresh faces who could arrive at Etihad before the window shuts on August 8. The likes of Harry Maguire and Ruben Dias have been thrown into the picture.
However, given the current dearth of centre-backs, the defensive reinforcements could be either young prospects or backups. On this note, let's discuss the ideal back-four Pep Guardiola could deploy next season.
RB: Kyle Walker
The full-backs are one of the most important elements in Pep Guardiola's system. Kyle Walker, since his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2017, has played a key role in a Man City side which has won two successive league titles.
However, the 29-year-old, on a few occasions, was exposed in defensive phases due to his stagnant positioning last season. The erratic performances from his premier full-back forced Pep to target a reinforcement in that area. Joao Cancelo was targeted by the City bosses but, the parties were unable to agree a deal.
With Danilo set to continue his supporting role, Kyle Walker is almost certain to patrol Man City's right-flank for at least another campaign.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko
Man City forked out £52m for the signature of Benjamin Mendy signature from AS Monaco, but, the transfer hasn't been as flourishing as expected, making just 17 league appearances in his two year seasons at the club.
Utilising central midfielders as full-backs have been one of Pep Guardiola's forte, with Joshua Kimmich, Fabian Delph, and Oleksandr Zinchenko being the examples. During Benjamin Mendy's absence last season, the Ukrainian never looked out of place when slotted in as a full-back.
Of course, Angelino has been re-signed this summer, but, sluggish outings in the pre-season haven't done him any favour. With Benjamin Mendy nursing his recurrent knee injury, Zinchenko looks set to deputise at left-back in Frenchman's absence next season.
CB: Aymeric Laporte
During the previous campaign, Aymeric Laporte established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League. In addition to his flawless tackles and interceptions, the Frenchman chipped in with five goals and three assists last season.
After the departure of Vincent Kompany, much onus will be put on Laporte to spearhead City's backline. It is believed that Pep Guardiola is working towards a defensive reinforcement before the summer window closes.
Regarding the transfer situation, Aymeric is confident that the current centre-backs are good enough to continue City's title challenge next season. His comments read as follows:
"I’m here to start. I’m going to work for that,"
“I don’t know (if the the club will buy). Ask Pep what he wants. I think the three of us are putting ourselves forward to play every game, but we don’t decide. The club decides for us.”
CB: John Stones
John Stones was envisaged as Vincent Kompany's successor in the City squad. Since his move away from Everton in 2016, the 25-year-old has enhanced his reputation as one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the English league. However, a record of nagging injuries has stopped him from nailing down a permanent spot in the starting XI.
In spite of Stones' Man City career being slow-paced thus far, the England international is certain to be handed a prominent role of marshalling the defence alongside Aymeric Laporte in the upcoming season.
Also, Stones himself is keen on the challenge of filling Kompany's big shoes. The defender said:
"There's some big shoes to fill - Vinnie (Kompany) set a benchmark at the club which I don't think can be done again. He's such a good person and for anyone who becomes captain, if they do half the job he did then they will be able to call themselves successful."
"He was such a key player for us, and will be missed by everyone, especially me personally. But it's a great challenge for me and us all to step up and grab the bull by the horns and run with it now."
