Manchester City have been through a tough period recently.
Specifically, City have lost their four previous matches across all competitions, something that has never happened to a side led by Pep Guardiola before.
After last weekend’s 2-1 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, Guardiola admitted City needed the international break to arrive when it did.
During the first week of the November break, a handful of names from City’s squad have been in action for their countries, with more set to do the same over the coming days before domestic football resumes.
Specifically, one particular City player delivered the sort of performance that may have given his club manager an extra tactical boost for their future games.
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Rico Lewis wowed for England in Greece victory
As one of the two City players in the current England squad for their final pair of Nations League matches, Rico Lewis completed 90 minutes in the Three Lions’ 3-0 win over Greece.
The 19-year-old had 55 touches of the ball in total and was able to accurately complete all 38 passes he attempted, making him the only player in the starting XI to complete the full 90 minutes with a 100% passing accuracy percentage.
He also won all four ground duels he was involved in as well as making three clearances, two tackles and even registered one shot on target.
This display ultimately earned Lewis a solid overall match rating of 7.7/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint third-highest-rated England player on the night.
In addition to that, the English media praised Lewis for his performance in the Three Lions’ latest victory.
Guardiola could now have an extra tactical weapon
In terms of how this performance could impact City, Lewis played the first half against Greece as a left-back before being moved to the right in the second period.
Having shown how capable he is of playing on either defensive flank, this could allow Guardiola to deploy the teenager on the left on a more regular basis.
With City having to rely on Josko Gvardiol to play on the left in the consistent absence of Nathan Ake due to injury, playing Lewis on the left could give Guardiola the chance to refresh his backline at some points throughout the rest of the season.
