Despite being under the managerial guardianship of a tactical genius in Pep Guardiola, Manchester City are yet to catch their yardsticks this season. They are two points below Arsenal, who are poised at the fourth spot in the league table, and they must be psychologically damaged and paralysed by the 4-0 devastation at the hands of Ronald Koeman’s Everton last week. To worsen their form, a fixture against Tottenham Hotspur awaits this weekend for them.
However, the mood in the camp of the blue half of Manchester must have lightened up to an extent upon the official unveiling of their £27million summer signing, Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian international was signed from Brazilian Serie A side, Palmeiras, after he helped them win their first Brazilian Serie A title since 1994 and now that all the official formalities have been completed, he is available for selection for Guardiola’s side to face Spurs on Saturday.
Jesus is one of the latest products from the ‘Land of Samba’; he scored 15 goals from 27 appearances for Palmeiras and no wonder why Manchester City came with such a huge amount of cash for the youngster. It is not only the club appearances that have drawn him to the limelight; he has also delivered for his national side by bagging 4 goals in 6 appearances. One look at him and you can tell that there is something very spectacular about him.
First and foremost, it has to be noted that the 19-year-old is a phenomenon athlete: he is tall, well built, very mobile and has raw pace to destroy the defenders. Unlike most of the players of his age group, he isn’t the one who would replicate what the manager’s textbook suggests, instead he is very intelligent and will always try to pull something spectacular out of his feet. He knows when to move where whilst his team’s pursuits up front and will hand and an excellent option to Guardiola.
Apart from the aforesaid qualities, it should also be mentioned that Jesus is a stupendous dribbler of the ball, is a very clinical finisher, tactically able to ply his trade on the wide areas to stretch the opponents’ defence, embark upon his flamboyance to create spaces for his teammates, holding up the play and most importantly, he never refrains from contributing defensively whenever the situation demands for the same.
Of course, the Premier League is a different ball game, but it would be safe to bet that he would definitely improve under the tutelage of Guardiola. He has the ingredients to excel and it is only a proper execution of his talents that is needed from here on that can make him one of the standout performers for the Citizens.
