As we close in on the return of club football, Manchester City are one of the teams desperate to get back to winning ways following a disastrous start to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
The Sky Blues, however, have made a few moves in the transfer market in the summer and Pep Guardiola will be eager to have them all fit and available when the league resumes next weekend. And here at The 4th Official, we will take a look at the strongest possible Manchester City lineup including the new signings.
Strongest Manchester City Lineup Including New Signing
Defence
Following the arrival of Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, Guardiola is set to face a selection dilemma in central defence. But, considering the fact that Aymeric Laporte is a guaranteed starter, a robust operator like Dias makes for a better option as it could ultimately add an extra dimension to Man City’s defensive game.
At right-back, Kyle Walker remains the better option when compared to Joao Cancelo purely due to his experience and positioning sense. Benjamin Mendy also gets the nod ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko on the opposite flank, but only by a small margin.
There is no competition in goal, with Ederson Moraes, one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, starting in between the sticks.
Midfield
Fernandinho is finally starting to show signs of deterioration, and one would argue that Ilkay Gundogan is a far better option, especially with someone like Rodri playing alongside him, in the double-pivot.
The German is a better ball-carrier, who is capable of moving forward and creating the creative spark in the final third. He can also read the game, and combine well with Kevin de Bruyne, who is an automatic starter in the number ten role. The Belgian hasn’t had the start he would have liked but has been one of Man City’s top performers regardless.
Attack
Moving forward, Guardiola has a wealth of options at right-wing, especially following the arrival of Ferran Torres. However, Riyad Mahrez should be the first choice, given how Bernardo Silva’s form has taken a downward trajectory over the past 12 months while Torres is fairly new to the Premier League.
Raheem Sterling is a guaranteed starter on the opposite flank, ahead of Phil Foden, with Sergio Aguero spearheading the Manchester City attack. However, the Argentine is still yet to make a single appearance so far due to injury.
