da dobrowin：
da aviator aposta： In today’s Manchester City roundup, we take a look at what headlines have been doing the rounds for Pep Guardiola’s side over the last 72 hours. Barcelona legend Xavi believes Raheem Sterling could become the next best player in the world, Benjamin Mendy sends a heartfelt message after his comeback against Shakhtar Donetsk, and Guardiola states that Rodri or Kyle Walker could come in at centre-back to help with the injury crisis in defence.
Sterling on course to replace Messi, says Xavi
Report: World Cup winner Xavi, when speaking to the Mirror, did nothing but praise City superstar Raheem Sterling. The Al Sadd manager said: “You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, Mbappe, Salah, and of course Sterling. I look at the moment – and Sterling is winning that race. He’s always been a good player, a dangerous player, but under Pep he became one of the best in the world.
“I know how Pep works – he would have worked closely with him since his arrival – where he needs to improve and what he needed to work on. We’re now seeing the results of that – he’s still young and can be the world’s best.â€
Verdict: It is no surprise to see Xavi heap so much praise on the 24-year-old, with Sterling bagging five goals in five Premier League games so far. Last season, the Englishman netted 17 league goals and played a vital role in City claiming back-to-back league titles (as per WhoScored).
Guardiola has no doubt played a key role in that – Sterling managed only six league goals the year before his arrival. However, to have such a legendary figure like Xavi, who won 30 trophies at Barcelona, praise you so highly has got to be a massive honour for Sterling.
Rodri, Walker could slot in at centre-back
Report: Speaking in his post-match press conference after the win over Shakhtar, Guardiola stated: “We need to find another solution in the squad, maybe Rodi or Kyle, because we cannot play guys who are 31 (Otamendi) and 34 (Fernandinho) that is impossible. Of course they have the experience, Fernandinho can play many positions and that’s why he’s so important for us.”
Verdict:ÂThe injuries to John Stones and Aymeric Laporte have certainly made the title race very interesting early on. The summer departure of Vincent Kompany has left City short in a key department, and now Guardiola has had to slot in Fernandinho alongside Otamendi.
Walker is no stranger to playing at centre-back, occupying that spot for England throughout their journey to the World Cup semi-final, while Rodri’s defensive exploits have shown he may do the job well, as he has averaged 3.3 tackles for City in the league and made four tackles on Wednesday against Shakhtar (as per WhoScored).
Furthermore, this may also force in Joao Cancelo at right-back if Walker moves into the middle. The Portuguese international has yet to start a competitive game for City since moving from Juventus.
Mendy’s message
Report: Benjamin Mendy took to Twitter the other night to a send touching message to his supporters after appearing late in the Champions League game, playing seven minutes in Ukraine.
Verdict:ÂThis was Mendy’s first time appearing for City since the Champions League tie against Tottenham Hotspur, in what was an injury-ridden season for the Frenchman, as he appeared just 10 times in the Premier League.
In truth, Mendy’s City career has not got going at all yet, despite picking up four trophies. The ex-Monaco man played just eight times in his debut season with the club after missing 43 games because of a ruptured cruciate ligament.
Although this is good news for Mendy, it could spell bad news for Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has occupied the left-back spot very well in his absence, averaging a performance rating of 7.04 and playing every minute of league action thus far.