24 | Joško Gvardiol - 2023/24

[vanchi]

Name a better LCB U22 in world football. There is a reason why most people in this thread think he will become the best in the world in his position. We almost broke the world record for him, so our management must be pretty confident he is special. Hell, the boy was already nominated for the Ballon d'Or. His forward passing between the lines is one of the biggest reasons why we bought him, so that's his offensive contribution. The way he carries the ball. Strong, assured, technically brilliant. He was the fastest CB in the Bundesliga as well. Fantastic at 1 vs 1. He hasn't played much at LB, though, and is just learning his new position in a new environment. He has been mostly excellent this season, including against Newcastle a few days ago.

I think he made one error since.

People must get that we don't just buy fucks full-backs who go forward every time they get a chance, like Couto or Frimpong. That's not the Man City way. We haven't had a player like that for a long-time now.

ah some people just want a super fast offensive lb, joško will never ever be good enough cause he isn’t one.

btw, they had him do a press conference yesterday, he was, inevitably, asked about city. one of the things he said: i’m satisfied, i’m not playing the position i’d love to play but i’m doing my best. - next season will be interesting.

 

[Blue5964]

Love the bond between our players



Josko and Mateo exploring some of the sights whilst on international duty.

 

[Kamaro011]

ah some people just want a super fast offensive lb, joško will never ever be good enough cause he isn’t one.

btw, they had him do a press conference yesterday, he was, inevitably, asked about city. one of the things he said: i’m satisfied, i’m not playing the position i’d love to play but i’m doing my best. - next season will be interesting.

Hopefully he can play John Stones role sooner than later next season.

 

[Blue5964]

Congratulations to Josko and Mateo On winning the ACUD Egypt Capital Cup.

 

[RayCTID]

With Stones' absence this a good opportunity to kick on from the FA Cup game vs Newcastle.

 

[TrentGrisham]

I'd play him at CB and Ake at LB. I'd worry about him versus Saka.

 

[richards30]

I'd play him at CB and Ake at LB. I'd worry about him versus Saka.

Agreed! Ake was great against Saka last season and I’d put him there again as well

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

ah some people just want a super fast offensive lb, joško will never ever be good enough cause he isn’t one.

btw, they had him do a press conference yesterday, he was, inevitably, asked about city. one of the things he said: i’m satisfied, i’m not playing the position i’d love to play but i’m doing my best. - next season will be interesting.

What's wrong with wanting a fast offensive lb? Isn't that how most Pep teams play (especially when playing with a target man upfront)?

Pep became more experimental when he came here and it's yielded great results but sometimes you get the feeling that the end product from the left wing isn't just enough. There are some who believe an overlapping lb would help create an attacking threat there especially when we play against teams that sit deep. Jack/Doku drifts towards the center and pulls the defender on him, creating space for an overlapping lb to get the pass and put a low / high cross in for our target man.

Back when we had the false 9 setup, we played with a fast overlapping lb and got a lot of results and I could argue that right now the need to play with a fast, attack minded lb is even more important especially seeing as we now play with a target man upfront. Not taking anything away from Gvardiol but he's not meant for that role and it's stifling our attacking play from that wing.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Not taking anything away from Gvardiol but he's not meant for that role and it's stifling our attacking play from that wing.

Gvardiol would only be 'stifling' our attacking play if he was being chosen ahead of someone who could play a fast offensive LB role proficiently. Last time I looked we had nobody that could do that.

 

[Haaland94]

What's wrong with wanting a fast offensive lb? Isn't that how most Pep teams play (especially when playing with a target man upfront)?

Pep became more experimental when he came here and it's yielded great results but sometimes you get the feeling that the end product from the left wing isn't just enough. There are some who believe an overlapping lb would help create an attacking threat there especially when we play against teams that sit deep. Jack/Doku drifts towards the center and pulls the defender on him, creating space for an overlapping lb to get the pass and put a low / high cross in for our target man.

Back when we had the false 9 setup, we played with a fast overlapping lb and got a lot of results and I could argue that right now the need to play with a fast, attack minded lb is even more important especially seeing as we now play with a target man upfront. Not taking anything away from Gvardiol but he's not meant for that role and it's stifling our attacking play from that wing.

Who is this great overlapping lb that you are referring to? We haven't had a proper LB since Kolarov many years ago. He was not exactly world-class either, and I was a fan.

Also, we create more threats from our LB than RB. One of the main reasons we signed Gvardiol is because he can pass the ball like a midfielder and find space that we often need to break down defenses. That's what Pep wants.