Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confessed that going up against the likes of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah this season taught him the importance of solid defending from full-backs....CONTINUE READING
“[Nathan Ake] has been fundamental for us,’ Guardiola told Sky Sports after Sunday’s victory over Chelsea.
“I learnt this season when you play against Bukayo Saka, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Martinelli or Mohamed Salah, you need proper defenders to win duels one-on-one.
City parted ways with left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer, selling the Ukraine international to Arsenal, while right-back Joao Cancelo was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich with a view to a permanent exit that appears unlikely to materialise.
In their place, young right-back Rico Lewis was promoted to the senior setup and Kyle Walker enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence towards the end of the campaign, notably pulling out an excellent performance to keep Vinicius at bay during the Champions League semi-final second leg.
“This group of lads are second to none,” Walker said after the title win. “They’re professionals, they’re winners, and I think that’s how we get across the line more times than not.
“But we’re not finished. We’ve got the FA Cup against our bitter rivals Manchester United and then we’ve got the Champions League final.”
