£200k-p/w Man City Star’s Performance vs Inter was ‘Special’

Manchester City’s Champions League campaign began in uninspiring fashion, as Pep Guardiola’s side played out a bleak scoreless draw with Inter Milan at the Etihad.

Despite having 60% of the ball, City failed to play at their fluent best, and were largely impotent in the final third aside from a late onslaught of chances. In what was a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final, the Citizens were held out by a stubborn Inter side in the two teams’ first appearance in the inaugural League Phase of the continental competition.

A night to forget for City, who sit 13th in the Champions League table, although Guardiola’s men have games against Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague to come, so alarm bells won’t be ringing for the Spaniard. However, an injury to Kevin De Bruyne, an issue which ultimately forced the Belgian off at half-time and will likely see him miss the showdown with Arsenal this weekend, certainly put a dampener on the night for the home team.

One bright spot from a disappointing evening will have been the performance of Josko Gvardiol, who emerged from the game garnering plaudits for an impressive display on the European stage.

Gvardiol Impresses for City

The defender was brilliant on the ball

Signing for a staggering £77 million from RB Leipzig last summer, Gvardiol took some time to settle in Manchester. An underwhelming first few months in a City shirt was forgotten about when the left-footed defender began to adapt effectively to the full-back role in Guardiola’s system, and he finished his debut campaign in fine form, contributing to the Champions’ relentless run of results toward the back end of the season.

Now firmly established as Guardiola’s preferred option on the left-side of the defence, the Croatia international has assumed an influential role in the team. Despite City lacking the offensive firepower to ultimately see off Inter at the Etihad tonight, the £200k-per-week man was outstanding.

Negating the Italian side’s threat on the counter-attack with a few excellent recovery runs, the 22-year-old showcased his ability to dictate the game from deep areas, completing 96% of his passes and playing an essential role in City’s ability to progress the ball, managing eight passes into the final third.

Described as ‘special’ on X by a City fan, Gvardiol produced the type of dominant display that Guardiola would’ve been yearning for from one of his defenders, with the Sky Blue outfit looking somewhat vulnerable in transition thus far this season. The youngster’s pace and reading of the game allowed City to play high up the pitch and ultimately meant Inter didn’t get a sniff.

With Arsenal to come on the weekend, Gvardiol will likely earn a starting berth once again, and will be expected to deal with the threat of Bukayo Saka, in what could be a significant match in determining the outcome of the title race.

Gvardiol Praises City’s Backline

“The back four looked really good today”

City’s main man on the night spoke to the media in the aftermath of the stalemate, praising his defensive counterparts for their display against the Serie A champions. Speaking to beIN Sports, Gvardiol said:

The defender’s maturity in analysing his team’s display in a calm and composed manner points to a player that may be on the cusp of assuming a leadership role within the City team. His performances tonight, and so far this season in general, would certainly merit such responsibility, and help to underline his status as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, and indeed Europe.