Pep Guardiola believes that if his team can retain possession for the majority of the game, they can create more goal-scoring chances and simultaneously prevent the opposition from scoring. His Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams were well-oiled and high on quality and hence it was easier applying this simple formula. But things haven’t been as easy till now at the Etihad. His City side have kept just 3 clean sheets till now- two in the Premier League while once in the Champions League.
The Catalan has pointed out that his players have been keeping possession well and have also restricted the opponents to a bare minimum when it comes to shots on goal. But the most alarming factor is surely the way in which his defenders crumble when applied pressure. Teams now know that creating even a couple of goal-scoring chances will be enough to get a goal in a match where they might be thoroughly outplayed. We have already seen this against Celtic, Everton, Middlesbrough and almost saw it against Manchester United. With the latest and the most damning instance being Chelsea.
The lack of quality in the box and the lack of assertiveness and finesse when under pressure while defending is something Pep has noted and will look to improve.
Which brings us to the latest buzzing reports that the impressive Southampton centre-back- Virgil Van Dijk has been blinking on Manchester City’s radar recently. The Dutch international has been a rock at the back for the Saints and his excellent partnership with Jose Fonte has been the cornerstone of Southampton’s impressive season so far.
He started his career with Willem II before transferring to Groningen in 2010 on a free transfer after just one season. He made his professional debut for Groningen coming on as a substitute on 1 April 2011. In 2013, he signed with Scottish giants Celtic for a fee of £2.6m. And he immediately impressed for the Hoops and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both of his seasons, also winning the Scottish League Cup in the latter. His career finally hit the big stage when he signed for Southampton in 2013 on a 5-year deal. And since then he has regularly impressed, with this season’s performances thrusting him into the spotlight.
At 25 years of age, he is at his peak and given his near-perfect attributes can be the ideal partner for John Stones in the long run. His concentration, his aerial prowess and his impeccable ball interception skills set him apart amongst a host of defensive candidates. With reports of his buy-out clause of £25m doing the rounds, the Sky Blues will surely be looking to make a move now.
Manchester City see him as a potential long-term successor of Vincent Kompany. The Belgian has failed to recover sufficiently from his recurring injuries and despite his good standing in the club, cannot be relied on as 1st choice any longer. With Guardiola missing out on Laporte and Bonucci, Van Dijk is odds on to be the subject of a considerable bid from City, maybe as early as January.
