1 week Ago By Esteemed Kompany
One of the areas where Manchester City’s injury crisis has hit them the hardest is in defence. John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake have all missed games this season. That has put a spanner in Pep Guardiola’s plans this season.
The world champions have been unable to play with a settled back four all season. Injuries in football happen, that’s part of the game. But could the susceptibility to injuries in the cases of Nathan Ake and John Stones force Manchester City’s hand next summer and force them to look to replenish their defensive stocks next summer? On closer inspection it could as the pair have become particularly injury prone in recent seasons.
This season has been a stop/start campaign for both John Stones and Nathan Ake. Stones has only played 10 games this season. He missed City’s recent games with a foot injury.
Sam Lee has reported for that Stones’ foot injury isn’t considered serious. But Stones came into this season off the back of an injury-interrupted 23/24 season. He only made 28 appearances last campaign as a host of injuries derailed his season.
John Stones remains a quality player but his durability is now becoming a concern. Nathan Ake’s situation is similar to that of John Stones. Ake has only made 5 appearances all season.
A hamstring injury he suffered in September while on international duty has so far derailed Ake’s season. Sam Lee also reports that Ake is now suffering from a new hamstring injury. Nathan Ake has been a quality performer for Manchester City when fit.
But he is now surrounded by the same questions as John Stones. Does Manchester City look to begin the rebuild of their defence next summer? With Stones and Ake having durability concerns and both getting on in age is next summer when Manchester City will look to rebuild their defence? I believe that one of the first tasks for incoming director of football Hugo Viana will be to oversee the regeneration of Manchester City’s midfield. That appears to be City’s most pressing need next summer.
But when you closer at City’s defence that could also be a priority for Hugo Viana and Manchester City next summer. John Stones and Nathan Ake have been crucial contributors to Manchester City’s success. But age and injury do catch up to every player.
They are no exception. You wouldn’t think, based on events that have transpired this season, that Manchester City would enter next season with the same defenders as this campaign. At some point, the champions will have to gradually begin to replace players like Stones and Ake.
A new report indicates that Pep Guardiola and Manchester City may be following a similar line of thinking. A report from Steve Kay for indicates that the world champions have identified Brentford defender Sepp van den Berg as a potential target. The 22-year-old Dutch defender has impressed with Brentford so far this season.
Kay reports that his form has caught the eye of Pep Guardiola. As a player, Sepp van den Berg looks to be a modern-day centre-half. He is strong in the air, and good defensively in one-on-one situations.
The ability of van den Berg in the air does prove to be a threat in set-piece situations. He is also competent with the ball at his feet, which is a pre-requisite skill for a Manchester City defender. He is also quick, which would be an asset to Manchester City, given the high defensive line they employ.
It remains to be seen if City will move for van den Berg in the future but he has the attributes to slot into Pep Guardiola’s squad. Summary I feel the time is coming when Manchester City will need to begin to rebuild their defence. While Stones and, Ake when fully, fit are still important players for the world champions, their fitness issues are a concern.
The day is coming, perhaps sooner, rather than later that City will have to rebuild their defence. Perhaps it will be a gradual process rather than a full-blooded rebuild. If Ake or Stones left the club next summer maybe a player like Sepp van den Berg could come in.
Based on Steve Kay’s report it does seem that Manchester City may be in the process of formulating such a plan..
