Nedum Onuoha has jumped to the defence of Josko Gvardiol, after the Manchester City player didn’t have the best of games against Chelsea.
City played out a pulsating 4-4 draw with the Blues at Stamford Bridge just before the latest international break, and it was probably a fair result in the end.
Erling Haaland grabbed two more goals, while Manuel Akanji and Rodri also scored for the visitors. Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer were all on target for the hosts.
City conceding four goals is not something that is very common as, usually, Pep Guardiola’s backline is very solid regardless of who plays.
On Sunday, the defence was uncharacteristically sloppy, and it wasn’t the best day at the office for Josko Gvardiol. Jamie Carragher criticised his defending on the second Chelsea goal scored by Sterling, and he had an uncomfortable afternoon in general.
But former City defender Onuoha has offered some perspective on the £130,000-a-week Croatia international…
Nedum Onuoha defends Josko Gvardiol after tough outing for Manchester City against Chelsea
Gvardiol has had a really solid start to the new season with City since his £77 million transfer from RB Leipzig, but against Chelsea he did struggle.
Following the game, ESPN pundit Craig Burley suggested that Gvardiol was ‘not a full-back’.
Technically, Gvardiol is a centre-back by trade, but we have seen him operate very comfortably on the left of City’s defence this season.
Speaking after Burley made his claim, Onuoha defended Gvardiol, saying: “At times when I see Gvardiol, I think oh this is a really good player and his ceiling is very, very high. But in other moments as was the case in the derby for that first period where you remember this is a 21-year-old in a new league for the first time.
“Some of those little mistakes and a little bit of naivety… I think he will get better with that. He’s capable of playing on the left side of a three in terms of an attack. At the end of the day, when you’re making mistakes when you’re younger, you’ll be able to grow out of some of those going forward.”
Some people are overreacting to Gvardiol’s Chelsea display
Good on Onuoha for offering this perspective on Gvardiol because some people do need to hear it.
Yes, he didn’t have his best game against the Blues and looked uncomfortable throughout, but some are talking as though he has been poor all season.
That simply hasn’t been the case. Gvardiol – branded an ‘incredible professional’ recently by Guardiola – surely has credit in the bank for what he’s shown prior to the 4-4 draw with Chelsea, and it is a shame he felt the need to apologise after the game.
People are forgetting he’s only been at City for a few months and that he is just 21 years old. Because he’s made a seamless transition coming in, this performance against Chelsea came as a bit of a shock when realistically, it’s normal for a player of his age to have such an experience.
