Gvardiol solidified his place in the City 1st team towards the end of last season and should go into the new campaign as 1st choice LB.
He grabbed 4 goals and 2 assists from 26 starts, which he can at least match this season as well, having acclimatised to the tactical setup at the club and what Pep expects of him.
Wouldn’t be surprised to see him score 6-8 goals, making him a great pickup especially if City manage to tighten up at the back.
Should be everyone’s pick for a City defender.
Kyle Walker (£5.5m)
The captain should still be City’s 1st choice RB but he’s certainly a risk for the start of the season because of England having an extended run at the European championships.
Doesn’t offer much going forward in terms of goal scoring and his final ball deliveries are quite poor, so only expect clean sheet points and the occasional assist.
Usually is a safe pick before the UEFA Champions League games start, but after that he could be replaced in the line-up by either Stones or Akanji.
John Stones (£5.5m)
City’s best ball playing defender unfortunately has trouble getting a consistent run in the team because of injuries.
I’d avoid him as an asset as he’s not guaranteed to start most games and may suffer from precautionary substitutions and benchings as Pep tries to preserve his physical condition.
Manuel Akanji (£5.5m)
A positionally versatile player who can comfortably play at LCB and RCB (in a back 3 formation), as well as in defensive midfield alongside Rodri.
Will get a decent number of starts but with Pep Guardiola’s tendency to rotate his team, you’re better off going for Gvardiol as he offers much more offensive output.
Nathan Aké (£5.5m)
City’s 1st choice at LCB managed 2 goals and 4 assists in the last campaign, which is quite good considering the fact that he started only 24 times.
The downside here is that Aké is slightly injury prone, so will be rested and rotated during the course of the season.
Rúben Dias (£5.5m)
Although not as good on the ball as the other CBs, Dias is admired for his defensive qualities.
The City defence is much stronger with him in the team as he marshals the defence and offers valuable leadership qualities.
For £5.5m he’s not an asset worthy of consideration, especially because of the rotation risk and virtually non-existent goal and assist threat.
More likely to play in difficult home / away fixtures where his defensive quality is required.
