My humble attempt to provide a summary of Gvardiol intended
to demonstrate some key reasons he could readily fit into a sort of cyborg combination of Walker + Cancelo on the left as a hybrid LB/CB Pep desires from defenders and why we could very well be targeting him (and a key bonus reason mentioned at the end):
You can skip most of my words here if you wish and just watch this video highlighting last year. :):
Of course, we are not seeing the flaws too much, but the capabilities on display tells you a lot about our reasons to justify any interest from a Pep side.
https://understat.com/player/9790 - Gvardiol's buildup numbers last season (21-22) are comparable to Cancelo & Walker, yet he was better at Expected Assists per 90m (more directly creative) and far more of a scoring threat than Walker.
None of this will be surprising if you read on.
https://breakingthelines.com/player-analysis/josko-gvardiol-rb-leipzigs-croatian-gem-in-defense/ - Analytics site data analysis in February. Title of each section:
- A Constant Threat in Attack
- A Forward-Thinking Presence in Defense
- Final Third Penetration: Exploiting the Opponent’s Defensive Line
- Defensive Style: Beautifully Old-School
https://www.foottheball.com/players...ia-analysis-style-of-play-transfer-potential/ - Earlier in the spring
One look at his numbers makes it clear that this is a player who loves getting high up the pitch and advancing the ball...
The role allows him to flex his ball-playing skills in the buildup as there are two other CBs who can do the conventional defensive work. He is above the 90th percentile in pretty much every buildup...
Given how far up the pitch he likes to venture, the true standout of his defending comes in interceptions. He averages 3.22 interceptions per 90, putting him in the 98th percentile amongst defenders a...
is extremely quick on his feet meaning he covers ground rapidly to diffuse any threatening situations. ...
He is an excellent passer, averaging 90% completion over short and medium distances. Gvardiol has already been involved in 26 shot-creating actions and five goal-creating actions....
https://www.foottheball.com/rising-...tyle-potential-dinamo-zagreb-croatia-leipzig/ - Older article (recently updated) also citing the big clubs scouting him
He can play three positions – a centre back in a four man back line, left back, and a left sided centre back in a three man back line.
Gvardiol’s one-on-one defending is amongst the best as far as young centre backs go...is very press resistant..[has]great ability to carry the ball out of defence, irrespective of where he is playing, allowing a smooth transition from defence to attack....
His passing range is impressive...and his game reading has signs of promise...
Another site some may be familiar with that performs analysis of our club and did so on Gvardiol when we were hearing Ake might have been off:
Get the latest UEFA Champions League stats: Josko Gvardiol - use our stats to understand the game style and characteristics of Josko Gvardiol
manchestercityanalysis.com
Lastly, there may be another potentially hidden factor of signing Gvardiol for Pep.
Pep could very well see Gvardiol as an additional rotation calibre no. 6-8 along with LB/CB.
That would mean the bonus of adding a left footed, hard working, dynamic CB/LB/CDM/CM we may need very soon.
Why?
We are set to likely lose Gundo and Bernardo next summer and that would mean we could have to spend massively on 2 midfielders, whilst also considering KDB's age.
By adding Gvardiol to the squad one can see such a conversion bing plausible as Pep did with Lahm, Delph, Zinchenko improving depth to mitigate the potential loss of Bernardo, in particular as he both are left footed.