After Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium, Rico Lewis has revealed what Pep Guardiola instructs him to do in his specialised inverted right-back role.
The 18-year-old was once again sublime for his boyhood club, especially playing a vital role in Julian Alvarez’s opener by winning the ball back with a crunching tackle. Many wonder how the youngster is as comfortable as he is in what is quite a complex role, drifting between central midfield and right-back.
As Manchester City made light work of Bournemouth on Saturday, Rico Lewis broke down what Pep Guardiola tells him to do every time he plays.
Rico Lewis says what Pep Guardiola tells him to do in every game after Manchester City beat Bournemouth
The teenager has a huge fan in the Spanish manager, who said after his stellar performance against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup that he was destined to become the club’s right-back for the next decade and was impressed by how ‘intelligent’ he was.
Rico Lewis, who stood out for Manchester City once again in his side’s annihilation of Bournemouth gave an insight into what Pep Guardiola instructs him to do, as relayed by City Xtra.
“Pep [Guardiola] just tells me to play my normal game but asks me to go inside alongside Rodri, to give us more control of the midfield. It’s about winning the ball back on the transition. It’s nice that he wants to play me and trusts me, it’s up to me to perform.”
He added, “I love playing in this role. I have played as a midfielder before and then been a full-back, so I love it. I have played there all the way through the Manchester City academy but with these players around you, it’s 10 times easier.”
While Pep Guardiola certainly has a role in how well the talented defender is is developing, it seems like he was born to play in this role, as typified once again by his performance for Manchester City against Bournemouth.
