The talking points ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 first leg tie at RB Leipzig.
De Bruyne replacement already revealed?
Pep Guardiola has spoken increasingly in recent weeks about Kevin De Bruyne’s position in the Manchester City squad, especially after dropping him for both recent Premier League clashes with Tottenham. De Bruyne will always be City’s go-to man in the big games, although Guardiola has been more and more tempted to replace him with Julian Alvarez this season.
Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez. (Image: Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images))
So if De Bruyne is absent at RB Leipzig this week, could Alvarez be the go-to replacement in Guardiola’s eyes? The manager has pointed to Alvarez’s ability to add another body in the box when he replaces De Bruyne, and if Guardiola wants to be more adventurous in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 first leg then maybe Alvarez is in line to step in rather than another midfielder.
Big Bernardo decision to make
Even before news of Aymeric Laporte’s absence, Bernardo Silva’s experimental stint at left-back was going to be a big talking point ahead of the Leipzig trip. A back three with Bernardo dropping into left-back worked against Aston Villa and Arsenal, but Nottingham Forest targeted that side at the weekend and pulled Bernardo out of position late on to steal a point.
Dominik Szoboszlai would not need telling twice to get at that position for Leipzig, so returning Nathan Ake to left-back in a traditional back four could make sense this week. However, with Laporte and Dias not training on Tuesday, that takes away one defender to replace Bernardo, and perhaps means the Portuguese is needed to cover for De Bruyne higher up the field too.
This week, Ederson said City will attack the Champions League with the aim of winning it, suggesting that a team of their quality should be winning this competition and that Pep Guardiola’s time at the club is deserving of the European Cup. Guardiola and others have not been shy in stating their aims at going all the way this season after heartbreaking semi-final and final defeats in the last two seasons.
However, to get to those latter stages, City need to be on the ball in the earlier knockout rounds as they resume European action for the first time since November. A draw would suffice ahead of next month’s second leg at the Etihad, but the Blues will be looking to make a statement against an opponent who shouldn’t be underestimated.
Putting right the Forest wrongs
City’s main issue in the draw at Nottingham Forest was their woeful finishing, with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte all guilty of wasting good chances. They cannot afford to do that in the Champions League, and they will also be looking to put right the wrongs of the weekend. Kyle Walker insisted that the defence must keep clean sheets if the forwards are not firing, and that will be even more pivotal at Leipzig.
Guardiola was calm after the Forest draw as he knew the chances were being created and the attitude was acceptable. He’s far more concerned if City aren’t making the openings rather than when they’re wasting them. After a frustrating setback, albeit with a simple solution, the best way to put it right is to be more clinical in Germany and tighter at the back if a win is not possible.
This was one of the ‘easier’ ties City could have drawn in the last-16, but Leipzig will be no pushovers as they showed in last season’s group stage. City won an entertaining 6-3 clash at the Etihad, before Leipzig got the points with a 2-1 victory at the Red Bull Arena on matchday six after City had already secured top spot. However, Guardiola went strong for the dead rubber and Kyle Walker was foolishly sent off on a forgettable night.
As well as some familiar faces in Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva, Dani Olmo and Emile Forsberg, City will also have to cope with Timo Werner who enjoyed some of his better games for Chelsea against the Blues. If City go to Leipzig thinking they have had a favourable draw, they will be much mistaken. Just ask Real Madrid, who were beaten at the Red Bull Arena in the group stage.
Manchester City: Sam Lee drops verdict on Ederson
Manchester City journalist Sam Lee has shared his verdict on Ederson and his current run of form for the Citizens.
This latest Premier League season has seen the Brazilian play every minute of the campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side across 24 games, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 24 games in the process.
Having failed to keep a clean sheet since City’s 3-0 win over Wolves precisely a month ago, this has led to the 29-year-old becoming the topic of focus with one journalist, in particular, taking to social media to share his thoughts on the goalkeeper.
In an initial Twitter post, which included an article he wrote for The Athletic about Ederson, Lee highlighted that City have conceded from their first shot on target in the last four games, which has happened 10 times in the PL this season.
In a following tweet, the journalist had this to say about City’s goalkeeper.
He said: “My overall conclusion is that Ederson is brilliant. His shot-stopping is good, his sweeping up is good, his kicking, decisions on the ball, ability on crosses/command of area is top-tier (in my opinion). At the moment he’s struggling a bit, like several City players have.”
Are you concerned with Ederson and his lack of consistent saves?
Despite this disappointing statistic, the Brazil international has still shown the other areas of goalkeeping that he is very proficient in
For example, with 71 of the 175 launched passes he has attempted being successful, this gives him the fourth-highest pass completion percentage of launched passes in the league (40.6%).
In addition to that, having stopped 16 of the 186 crosses into his box, this gives Ederson the fifth-highest percentage in the league for crosses stopped (8.6%).
Having also been hailed by Guardiola for his ability to pass the ball with his feet, it’s clear why he is so important for City, despite his shortcomings in terms of making saves compared to his fellow top-flight goalkeepers.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk; thisisfutbol.com
