Known for the Arab money and purchasing power, things have changed slightly since Guardiola took over the reigns. A number of youngsters are stepping it up and producing eye-catching performances and that has certainly caught Pep’s attention.
One such player has been Pablo Maffeo, one of the many from Manchester City to have made the trip to Girona FC on a season-long loan. At the age of 20, playing plenty of football is just what is required to nurture and develop these youngsters. A realization that the possibility of attaining that are close to nil considering City’s depth in the squad, Maffeo and the club have made the right choice to send him out on loan.
He has conducted himself in the Spanish league quite brilliantly and has made Pep rethink his plans for the future. Maffeo has made 10 appearances so far for Girona FC. A stellar performance against champions Real Madrid guided his team to a 2-1 victory. His forward running and overlaps on the right-hand side caused all sorts of problems for Madrid’s defence. The efforts by the Spaniard were paid off when he assisted the winning goal.
But his attacking exploits are not just the ones to be noted. He sticks to his task defensively and is a solid tackler of the football. He makes an average 2.9 tackles per game, indicating why the likes of Ronaldo, Isco and Modric had a tough time getting past the youngster. His performance against Barcelona heaped praise on him from the Catalan manager who stated that Messi’s positioning had to be slightly altered in order to free up space that was tightly held by Maffeo. Some job containing the world’s best player.
At the moment, City’s first choice right-back Kyle Walker is running his show. Danilo would be knocking on Walker’s door although he has been played as a left back by Guardiola. The ex-Bayern manager has developed many a player in his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. A glaring example would be that of Dani Alves, a right back who reached his peak under Guardiola. There is no reason why another world class right back cannot be there in the making if Guardiola spots that potential in him.
Whether Guardiola will instil him into the first team is a matter of speculation but it can be said that his performances are making his manager reconsider his thoughts and plans for next season. If Maffeo can continue with the same sort of approach, he would be pressurizing City’s current right backs, reminding them not to take him for granted.
