When Pep Guardiola was confirmed as the manager of Manchester City, it was believed that he would take the Premier League by storm. At Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he won almost everything and a fixture against his side was a nightmarish kind of outing. A scenario of the master tactician bulldozing his way past every stumble was imagined at the onset, though in reality, it proved to be quite contrary.
Halfway through the season, Manchester City’s yacht seems to be dwindling timorously and they find themselves in a pretty awkward position as compared to the yardstick they set when the season kicked off. In a league where even the relegation battlers can give the better sides a run for their money, Guardiola is taking his time to acclimatise himself in the new league he has set his foot in.
However, it would be too harsh on the Spaniard to nest the faults on. The blue half of Manchester have been handicapped with injuries and their defence appears to be in a pretty fragile situation. They have conceded 22 goals so far this season, the same as sixteenth place Middlesbrough (that pretty much gives an indication, doesn’t it?). Manchester City are assessing their prospective targets to amend their loopholes at the back and apparently, they have been linked with a move for German international Holger Badstuber.
The Bayern Munich defender plies his trade at the centre-back slot, though he is versatile enough to accommodate himself efficiently on the left-back position as well. The 27-year-old has found opportunities very hard to come by and has accumulated just one German Bundesliga appearance so far this season. Besides, injuries haven’t been kind to him, and forced him to be out of action for major chunks of his career.
There is a clear lack of personnel at Manchester City and Guardiola has been forced into varying his inputs in terms of his central defensive pairing. While the duo comprising of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi have failed to provide enough resilience, club captain Vincent Kompany has been in and out of the side owing to the injuries and thus, the pursuit to acquire a competent defender like Badstuber is no rocket science.
Domestic glories, as well as lucrative European nights, will tighten the schedule in the coming business end of the season and it is high time for Guardiola and his backroom staff to make the necessary additions to instil the much-needed chemistry in the side. A loan move for Badstuber can very well meet the needs of all the parties concerned and undoubtedly, it would not be a hasty recourse but a very calculated risk by Guardiola to bring the German to his side.
Statistics Credits: Squawka.
