Pep Guardiola must include Josko Gvardiol in his Manchester City starting XI for their Premier League match against Sheffield United.
After beating Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening, the Citizens are back in action this afternoon with a home clash against the Blades.
Looking ahead to what is the final match at the Etihad Stadium in 2023, one figure that we feel should be in from the start on this occasion is Gvardiol.
Gvardiol must start against Sheffield United
As the first half of the match against Everton was drawing to an end, City were dealt an injury blow as John Stones was forced off with an ankle issue following a coming together with Toffees striker Beto.
This then led to Gvardiol coming on to replace the Englishman and help see his side secure their comeback victory.
During his time on the pitch against the Merseyside club, the Croatian managed to do his bit defensively by making two tackles and winning five of the six duels he was involved in to help City from conceding another goal.
In fact, with 14 league appearances under his belt, the centre-back, who has previously been described as a “confident” player by Zlatko Dalic, has made more interceptions (16) than any other City player and has won more tackles (15) and made more blocks (17) than any other defender in the squad.
So with Stones out injured, having the 21-year-old in the side could be vital for Guardiola and City in terms of their defensive options moving forward.
Looking ahead to this afternoon’s match against the Blades, even though they haven’t been too proficient in front of goal this season, with just 15 goals scored in 19 games, having Gvardiol in the team will give City some defensive stability at the back.
