After Manchester City beat Red Star Belgrade 3-2 on Wednesday night, Pep Guardiola pinpointed how remarkable Rico Lewis’ consistency is.
While discussing Lewis, the Spaniard claimed during his press conference (via HaytersTV) that his base level of performance every time he starts is “incredible.”
Against Red Star Belgrade, the 19-year-old shone once again, with Robbie Savage hailing him as “magnificent.”
Pep Guardiola says Rico Lewis has never had a poor game for Manchester City after 3-2 win against Red Star Belgrade
In November, Glenn Hoddle also praised the youngster for having the consistency one expects from a 28-year-old player already while emphasising how outstanding it is to maintain such standards while also being tasked to play in a variety of positions.
As Manchester City gem Rico Lewis put in yet another formidable performance against Red Star Belgrade, Pep Guardiola emphasised how he has never seen him have a poor game.
“He’s just 18 or 19 years old? 19 years old last month so it’s always [an] incredible average, Rico is always seven [out of 10], seven, seven, seven to eight, not seven to six. Always, he is…the ability is unbelievable!”
“He can play in different positions, in the middle, in the right, left, in the pockets and he’s so good defensively, apparently, it doesn’t look like [it] but he’s really good. He’s so intuitive in the actions, defensive, offensive and played another exceptional game”, he said in his press conference (via HaytersTV).
Time for Rico Lewis to start more regularly
As Rico Lewis wowed Pep Guardiola and those tuning in against Red Star Belgrade once again, perhaps it may be time for him to become a much more frequent starter.
In our view, Kyle Walker has looked like somewhat of a weak link for the Sky Blues this season.
Especially in possession, as against a high-press, the Englishman has struggled to progress the ball on numerous instances, which has played a part in City’s build-up not being as typically smooth this season.
Walker has always been rather limited as a passer, especially when he is deployed in a deeper role as opposed to when he is inverting in midfield or played further up the pitch.
Rico Lewis, on the contrary, is a specialist with the ball at his feet in tight angles and he would likely allow City to deal with the pressure from the opposition by simply dismantling the press due to his intelligent decision-making and sublime technical ability.
It may be time for Pep Guardiola to give the versatile talent more responsibility in terms of start, especially in the Premier League.
