Nathan Ake has been the standout defender for Manchester City this season, in our view.
As Ake scored an 88th-minute winner against Tottenham Hotspur, his late goal capped off what was yet another exceptional performance from him.
With City’s defence being quite vulnerable this season, not many defenders at the club have made the impression they did during their treble-winning campaign.
Nathan Ake has been the best defender for Manchester City this season
But Nathan Ake has been an exception to the rule at Manchester City, consistently putting in top displays, whether it be as a left-sided centre-half or as a left-back.
For instance, as Pep Guardiola’s men drew 1-1 to Liverpool in November, the £160,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man was tasked with playing at left-back, a position he has not played as regularly this campaign.
Despite having a valid reason for potentially underperforming while facing off against one of the best teams in Europe, the 28-year-old delivered a rock-solid showing while also setting up Erling Haaland’s opening strike.
However, Nathan Ake’s teammates, such as Kyle Walker against Newcastle United recently have let him down in several games where he has performed admirably.
Once again, Ake has showcased for Manchester City that he is quite simply an outstanding defender, both inside the box and out wide.
When played as a left-sided centre-back, the £41 million (Guardian) man’s reading of the game, timing of challenges and aggressiveness are attributes that make him a challenge to contend with for any forward.
In possession as well, as was the case against Tottenham, Ake’s passing out of the back continues to get better and better. Be it a short pass to keep things ticking or spraying the ball from one side to the other, the treble-winner has it in his locker, which was not the case when he joined the club four years ago.
Barring how much he struggled against Pedro Neto against Wolves or for Dejan Kulusevski’s equaliser against Tottenham in December, Nathan Ake is yet to have put a foot wrong this campaign, having carried on where he left off from last season for Manchester City.
The same cannot be said for the likes of Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker, who have had shaky campaigns, John Stones has largely been injured, Josko Gvardiol has had his ups and downs at City and Manuel Akanji has perhaps been more error-prone than Nathan Ake despite largely being a reliable figure at the back this season.
Perhaps Ake’s tendency to go about his business quietly is why he has not seemed to always get the plaudits he merits.
