Josko Gvardiol was left out by Pep Guardiola as Manchester City suffered a 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Saturday.
The £77.6m man didn’t even come off the bench as he watched his teammates struggle at Molineux.
That led to a number of Manchester City fans questioning Guardiola’s decision to overlook the Croatian as Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias found life tough in the Midlands.
While we agree that Josko Gvardiol should have started for Manchester City on Saturday – his pace would have come in handy against Pedro Neto – Pep Guardiola should leave him out against RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Why? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the 21-year-old only left RB Leipzig on Saturday 5th August, roughly eight weeks ago.
Therefore, the German side still have plenty of relevant data involving Gvardiol, and surely know his weaknesses.
RB Leipzig are looking very dangerous this season, as the likes of Lois Openda and Xavi Simons run riot in attack, so the Bundesliga outfit have danger men who can exploit any weak points the Croatia international may have.
It is a massive game for Manchester City, as RB Leipzig are likely to be Guardiola’s main rivals for the No.1 spot in Group G – with all due respect to BSC Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade.
Therefore, a positive result is important for the Citizens – even as early as matchday two in the UEFA Champions League.
Josko Gvardiol should start for Manchester City after Wednesday
While we think Gvardiol should be left out against his old side RB Leipzig, we would like to see him thrown back into the starting XI for the trip to Arsenal on Sunday.
The Manchester City No.24 is arguably the quickest defender at the Etihad Stadium behind Kyle Walker, and Guardiola will need this pace to combat the speed of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and – if he recovers in time – Gabriel Martinelli.
Ake was torn apart by Neto for the opening goal at Molineux on Saturday, and the aforementioned Arsenal trio can do exactly the same to the Dutchman.
Therefore, Gvardiol must be reintroduced to the starting XI after Wednesday’s clash against RB Leipzig.
