Josko Gvardiol has shone light on how he is able to meet the needs of a versatile Pep Guardiola side by playing across a plethora of positions, even in attack.
The Croatian has been a superb signing since arriving at the club in the summer of 2023, proving to be a colossus at the heart of a sky blue defence and producing constantly great performances week in, week out.
This is exemplified by the fact Gvardiol was awarded the club’s Player of the Season award last campaign in an otherwise deflating term for the Blues, as Manchester City ended 2024/25 without a major trophy for the first time in nine years.
The second-most expensive defender in English football history appears to be worth every penny as the weeks pass, as Gvardiol’s defensive prowess, on-the-ball ability, and even attacking threat has marked him as one of City’s standout players.
The 23-year-old is not your conventional centre-back and has shown this since he was taken under the careful tutelage of Pep Guardiola, asked to fill a wide variety of roles, and spending the vast majority of his first two campaigns at the club deployed as a left-back.
Despite being outside of his conventional position often, the former RB Leipzig man has played to an exceptional standard, shining in both his first two terms and so far this season, with Gvardiol was asked to do defensive duties and his bit in the final third.
This saw the defender often get involved at the top end of the pitch, finding the net 11 times whilst also turning provider on a multitude of occasions throughout his Manchester City career thus far.
Although he is a centre-back on paper, he is capable of excelling in a lot of areas on the pitch, proved by the fact he has provided two assists so far this season; against Brentford last time out, and Monaco the game prior.
The No.24 spoke with Manchester City in an interview about how playing a wide variety of positions is by no means something that is alien to him, revealing to be quite flexible in regard to where he operates on the pitch.
“When I was younger, I used to play in a lot of positions – right winger, left winger, striker, and in the middle as well,” he explained.
“Since I joined Manchester City, my game hasn’t changed that much. Of course, every day, I learn something new from our manager.”
“Obviously, he’s one of the best, and I’m happy I’m still here and to be in my third season. I’m looking forward to a lot of minutes this season and hopefully to winning some trophies.”
Josko Gvardiol is a generational talent – a great defender certainly, but his attributes stretch far beyond that. Being only 23-years-old and clearly willing to do whatever is needed for his team to win, who knows how high the ceiling is for the Croatian, and hopefully at the Etihad?
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