Manchester City’s early season run seems to be a distant dream as their season went from bad to worse with a 4-0 hammering against Everton the latest in a series of embarrassing results and displays the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has had to contend with over the first 6 months of his tenure as the Manchester City boss. His ideas have not fully integrated into the system of the current group of players and there is a clear dearth in quality and the ability to play in a certain way the Catalan wants them to play.
While there will likely be a number of additions to the squad in summer and maybe this January too, an area which will be certainly bolstered is their left-back options with Gael Clichy and Kolarov increasingly looking like moving on.
Let us take a look at 3 options on the left-hand side of defence who can suit Pep’s idea of a fullback in a more efficient manner.
JONAS HECTOR (FC COLN)
The 26-year-old is a regular in Joachim Low’s German national team now and boasts 24 senior caps for Die Mannschaft now. Few modern full-backs are defensively as sound. He’s strong in one vs one situations with opposing wingers also. Additionally, Hector has the handy ability to be able to break swiftly from defence and has the ability to position himself in advanced areas and his off the ball movements are also eye-catching.
RICARDO RODRIGUEZ (WOLFSBURG)
The well-built and impressive frame of the left-back makes him stand out from players in his position. His relatively young age and his physical maturity make him a fearsome prospect especially in one on one situations. He is an excellent dribbler in great in the air.
His crossing and also his presence during set-pieces will come in handy. Wolfsburg are in a dire situation and look destined to be embroiled in the battle for the drop which might allow the club to cash in and the player an escape route.
DANNY ROSE (TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR)
An unlikely target, given Tottenham Hotspur’s recent surge in stature and the excellent work done by Mauricio Pochettino with a young squad at his disposal. Rose has experienced a kind of renaissance and his contributions from the left fullback and wingback area has been key for them. Possessing searing pace and a new found solidity in defence and a consistent end product in attack, he is a coveted player for a number of clubs now.
