Pep Guardiola must include Nathan Ake in his starting XI for Manchester City’s upcoming Premier League match against Newcastle United.
After beating Huddersfield Town 5-0 in the third round of the FA Cup last weekend, the Citizens return to Premier League action with an away clash against Eddie Howe’s side.
In terms of what Guardiola’s starting XI could look like for this game, one player that we feel should be in it on this occasion is Ake.
Ake must start against Newcastle
The defender was an unused substitute during last week’s win over the Terriers, which, as well as Ederson, Kyle Walker and Rodri, makes it likely that the Dutchman will be fully fit and ready to feature this time out against the Toon.
This season has seen the 28-year-old feature in 25 games across all competitions and has completed the full 90 minutes in all of City’s four previous Premier League games.
Across his 15 league appearances this season, Ake, who Guardiola has called an “exceptional” player in the past, has shown how useful he can be on and off the ball for his side.
For example, in addition to scoring two goals and providing one assist, the Dutchman has also racked up the second-highest passing accuracy percentage (93%) out of players currently in the City squad and has made the third-highest number of clearances (29).
From a defensive point of view, the fact that Newcastle (39) have scored more league goals than the likes of Arsenal (37), Chelsea (34) and Manchester United (22) this season suggests that Ake could be key for his side on this occasion.
His overall performances have earned the centre-back a season rating of 6.77/10 from WhoScored, making him City’s eighth-highest-rated player and their highest-rated defender.
With all of that in mind, we feel that it should be an easy decision for Guardiola to include Ake in his starting XI for the match against Newcastle.
