Sergio Aguero, Manchester City (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Manchester City resume on the football pitch with a tricky fixture to Arsenal and Pep will be looking to get the squad ready for the Champions League challenge
Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City team will return to Premier League action. They enter the restart in a strange state with The Champions League, their ultimate prize, commencing in August. The current resumption focuses solely on the domestic schedule.
For City, this lessens the value and significance of the games. They are 25 points behind Liverpool. Even with their game-in-hand, a home game against Arsenal which will kick off Project Restart on June 17, Liverpool needs just two wins from nine matches to secure the Premier League title.
Manchester City is also comfortably in the top four. They are 12 points clear of Manchester United in fifth. So until Champions League commences, the only matches of importance for City come in the FA Cup, against Newcastle United in the quarter-finals and they will be looking to defend their crown. This is an ideal time for Guardiola to experiment with his team and plan for the future.
#5 Joao Cancelo
The right-back signed in a player-plus-cash deal worth around £60million with Danilo heading to Juventus in the summer. Joao Cancelo is defensively weaker than other right-backs due to a deficiency of defensive positioning and awareness. Even with his extreme pace, he struggles to maintain his position and hold a level of concentration required to defend under periods of intense pressure.
But when it comes to attacking,this is where Cancelo shows his worth. Despite being a right-back, Cancelo’s key attributes are his technical dribbling ability on the ball, vision and distributing. He can pick the ball up from his half and viscously attack open spaces in the middle of the field. Cancelo needs to step up before Guardiola goes into the market again.
Premier League</a> action. They enter the restart in a strange state with The Champions League, their ultimate prize, commencing in August. The current resumption focuses solely on the domestic schedule.</p>
<p>For City, this lessens the value and significance of the games. They are 25 points behind Liverpool. Even with their game-in-hand, a home game against Arsenal which will kick off Project Restart on June 17, Liverpool needs just two wins from nine matches to secure the Premier League title.</p>
<p>Manchester City is also comfortably in the top four. They are 12 points clear of Manchester United in fifth. So until Champions League commences, the only matches of importance for City come in the FA Cup, against Newcastle United in the quarter-finals and they will be looking to defend their crown. This is an ideal time for Guardiola to experiment with his team and plan for the future.</p>
<h3><strong>#5 Joao Cancelo</strong></h3>
<p>The right-back signed in a player-plus-cash deal worth around £60million with Danilo heading to Juventus in the summer. <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/bd6351cd/Joao-Cancelo?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Joao Cancelo</a> is defensively weaker than other right-backs due to a deficiency of defensive positioning and awareness. Even with his extreme pace, he struggles to maintain his position and hold a level of concentration required to defend under periods of intense pressure.</p>
<p>But when it comes to attacking,this is where Cancelo shows his worth. Despite being a right-back, Cancelo’s key attributes are his technical dribbling ability on the ball, vision and distributing. He can pick the ball up from his half and viscously attack open spaces in the middle of the field. Cancelo needs to step up before Guardiola goes into the market again.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> City's defender conundrum </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-481988 size-full" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2129,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1205102295.jpeg" alt="Manchester City" width="3200" height="2129" srcset="https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1205102295.jpeg 3200w, https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1205102295-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Benjamin Mendy, Manchester City (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>#4 John Stones</h3>
<p><a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/5eecec3d/John-Stones?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>John Stones</a> signed for Manchester City for a price of £47.5 million with add-ons. He won the Premier League in 18-19 and 19-20 season, three EFL Cups and the FA Cup in 2019 as well.This season, the defender was ruled out for six weeks after a muscle injury and has returned to play when Rodrigo came out injured in Manchester City’s match against Atalanta; it was apparent the 25-year-old wasn’t fit.</p>
<p>He has played just 191 minutes in the Premier League so far this year. But John Stones has proven his footballing ability in Manchester City. Teammates and coaches have admired his composure with the ball, defensive skills, range of passing, vision and versatility.</p>
<p>With the prospect he has shown so far, he is suitable for a big-money move, and the likely destinations are either Real Madrid or Arsenal. With Guardiola on the lookout for a center-back with the likes of Koulibaly, Denayer and Upamecano in the wish-list, Stones has one last chance to impress the Citizens.</p>
<h3>#3 Benjamin Mendy</h3>
<p>With Manchester City being linked with Telles and Chilwell, there is reason to believe that <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/5271c8f1/Benjamin-Mendy?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Benjamin Mendy</a>‘s future is in doubt. Mendy joined from Monaco for 57 million euros.<br>
His debut Premier League season at the Etihad Stadium was short-lived when he tore his ACL, forcing him to miss seven months.</p>
<p>When he is on the pitch, Mendy has made 6.02 crosses per game in the Premier League, more than any other player, with the completion rate of 38.75%. While Guardiola’s inverted full-backs tactics are famous now, Mendy has played more like a conventional offensive left-back instead of inverting to the center. Mendy needs to remain fit from injuries to have a future under Guardiola.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #0" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> City's talented youngsters and their future </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-481985 size-full" src=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1600,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fplayingfor90.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1166439248.jpeg" alt="Manchester City" width="1600" height="1600" srcset="https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1166439248.jpeg 1600w, https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1166439248-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1166439248-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://playingfor90.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1166439248-400x400.jpeg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:1600px;">Leroy Sane, Manchester City (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>#2 Phil Foden</h3>
<p>With the imminent exit of <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/e2716bd0/David-Silva?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">David Silva</a> at the end of this season, Guardiola has suggested he has a direct replacement in <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/ed1e53f3/Phil-Foden?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Phil Foden</a>. Foden is regarded as the most promising youngster to break through from the academy into the first-team squad.</p>
<p>Foden plays as a central midfielder. He can also function as number 10 or play on the right-wing because of his stronger left foot. He is dynamic and versatile preferring to provide the link between midfield and attack by receiving deep and carrying the play forward before playing a through ball or feeding the wide areas. He has a clean dribbling style with excellent close control and has a hawk vision to allow him to make a pass to rushing forwards.</p>
<p>His slight frame means he has a low center of gravity, making it easy for him to get through opposition lines. Foden recently starred during the Carabao Cup final win against Aston Villa and was rewarded with a starting berth in the Manchester derby.</p>
<h3>#1 Leroy Sane</h3>
<p><a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/2b114be3/Leroy-Sane?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22>Leroy Sane</a>, a German international, has been very productive for Manchester City since making a 46.5 million euro transfer from Schalke in 2016. Between the start of the 2016 season through the end of the 2018 season, Sane has appeared in 134 total games and contributed 39 goals, and 45 assists, averaging 2.34 points per game for the Sky Blues.</p>
<p>Sane has been a long-term candidate for Bayern Munich and would have moved last season if he had not sustained a long term injury in the Community Shield game against Liverpool. With a year left on his contract, Manchester City would like to cash-in before next season starts.</p>
<p>City fans will soon be treated to the prospect of <a href=https://playingfor90.com/2020/06/16/manchester-city-5-players-benefit/"https://fbref.com/en/players/e46012d4/Kevin-De-Bruyne?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Kevin De Bruyne</a> and Leroy Sane playing at the same time. Both players have been missing out due to injuries over the last two seasons and have been named in the lineup together only nine times.</p>
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<p>Is the Guardiola effect still working for Manchester City and their squad depth?</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">