24 | Joško Gvardiol - 2024/25

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Centre half playing at left back and doing a decent job going forward. Why do we buy quality prospects and proven players and then play them out of position?

He is young and he’s playing a lot, which he’ll obviously want but he’s getting caught playing silly balls inside because he’s playing in a position that isn’t his. I know he’s played there since he joined us but the other 10 years or so he’d played professionally and in an academy wasn’t he in central defence? Maybe there is a shout for him to play in midfield but surely he should be given a sustained chance in his actual position, especially since we’ve chopped and changed our central defenders every game? He's a ball carrier, we all love that about Stones, I don’t get it.
 
This lad is the least of our problems. He’s class on the ball, out of all Under 23s in world football in all positions (not just left back), he makes the second most forward passes with the highest accuracy of all of them. He’s a very positive forward in thinking attacking wing back who is also a goal threat. He’s arguably been our best attacking threat this season. He needs to learn a lot defensively but he looks like he easily can and is still young so just needs the experience of acting out the things he needs to improve on.
 
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Would rather judge him when he's able to be rested and rotated instead of playing 90 mins every four days.

He was absolutely mega during the latter half of the 23/24 season and he'll get back there when he can pace himself.
 
Keeps making far too many elementary mistakes in defence but looks like one of our biggest goal threat's going forward at the moment.

A bit of a conundrum.

I don't think he's ready to play CB in this struggling team.
 
Every player right now is playing well below expectations because of the deterioration of the overall team dynamic this season..
 
He seems error prone at the moment but I think that's because he's playing every game. In his wrong position.
 
Constantly tucks in too far when defending leaving the flank exposed and the opposition winger/wide player in acres of space
 
Not an LB. Will never be one just because he scored. His future is the one being a CB. But knowing this club we won’t go for a real FB anyways. Probably a new CB next season for the right side too.
 
Gvardiol is like akanji. Ok, look fair enough alongside stronger players but when THEY have to be the stronger player they mentally go to pieces.
Difference being between the two is that akanji cost 10 bob and gvardiol cost a stupid amount
 
ID70 said:
Constantly tucks in too far when defending leaving the flank exposed and the opposition winger/wide player in acres of space
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That’s modern defending!

His biggest problem is that he is not the ball playing midfielder he is asked to play when being asked to tuck in.

His suicide passes square inside are a liability we cannot afford. Sadly, it’s his go-to pass on last resort!

As a “last line defender,” the square pass was always considered a no-no, but in this team, every pass is considered an option, and square passes and back passes for defenders are the norm if the winger doesn’t drop to make himself available or the DM hasn’t created some space for himself! It can be suicide, but it’s all part of the patterns of play in this team!
 
ChicagoBlue said:
As a “last line defender,” the square pass was always considered a no-no, but in this team, every pass is considered an option, and square passes and back passes for defenders are the norm if the winger doesn’t drop to make himself available or the DM hasn’t created some space for himself! It can be suicide, but it’s all part of the patterns of play in this team!
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It's very much a "team" thing at the moment for me, he was making the same passes 2 months ago, and for 12 months before that, and he rarely gave the ball away. The same pass now, and we're all shreaking in the stands as an oppenent is often in the way.

Who's fault is it is the interesting question, Gvardiol himself, the midfield, or Pep's for persisting with the way we play ? I don't profess to know the answer either. My biggest feeling it's confidence (or lack of) on the pitch.
 
cleavers said:
It's very much a "team" thing at the moment for me, he was making the same passes 2 months ago, and for 12 months before that, and he rarely gave the ball away. The same pass now, and we're all shreaking in the stands as an oppenent is often in the way.

Who's fault is it is the interesting question, Gvardiol himself, the midfield, or Pep's for persisting with the way we play ? I don't profess to know the answer either. My biggest feeling it's confidence (or lack of) on the pitch.
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Clearly, the team is not what it was. However, with individual passes, that’s on the player.

You can’t be so mindless that you play dangerous blind passes, but he’s been making a habit of it. That tells me he’s not as sharp a mind as I’d hoped, or simply not a quick thinker on the ball. Then again, as a defender/full back, rather than a “head on a swivel” midfielder, it may just be a skill he hasn’t mastered yet.

Either way, you simply cannot be a defender and play a blind square pass. Not ever. Never.
 
Lavinda Past said:
My personal measure of City defenders goes from Eliaquim Mangala to Dave Watson.

As a defender, Gvardiol seems closer to Mangala than Watson. As for him becoming a midfielder... I don't see it.
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So you just don't regard him as a good footballer full stop? No use in defence or midfield?

Interesting.
 
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