Perhaps Manchester City’s greatest players against Young Boys on Wednesday night were Rico Lewis and Jeremy Doku.
In fact, UEFA named the latter Man of the Match in recognition of his efforts. The 18-year-old, who alternated between center midfield and right back, performed like a player ten years older than him. Doku, on the other hand, was a true live wire and might have added to his three goals against City.
On minute 26, the Belgian was in a plethora of space just inside the box, but all he could find was the palm of goalkeeper Anthony Racioppi. In the meantime, he assisted teammates with many crosses on both wings that were not converted.
Doku began the game on the right, but as City looked for the breakthrough before halftime, he was asked to switch flanks with Jack Grealish. Lewis was the team’s right-back while they were not in possession and their midfielder when they were.
The teenager berated himself for giving up the equalizer by playing Young Boys striker Meschak Elia onside by a few centimeters, but he should keep in mind that the majority of his shift went nearly flawlessly.
The two represented a shared characteristic among the starting eleven. Although he has kept his team small and close-knit, Pep Guardiola has other options. Just three players—John Stones, Julian Alvarez, and Manuel Akanji—have the management successfully developed into multi-positional players.
This season, City has had to deal with several key players suffering injuries, but thanks to the squad’s versatility, the team has mostly survived and prospered. Rodri is, it turns out, irreplaceable right now, but almost every other position is up for rotation.
Alternatively, and probably more accurately, a lot of performers can act in roles that are not naturally their own. This offers City an advantage over its competitors and the capacity to maintain the juggernaut even under difficult circumstances.
That isn’t the case for Manchester United, who will face the Treble winners this Sunday. The only player who has been genuinely successful in terms of adaptability under Erik ten Hag may be Luke Shaw, who has demonstrated that he can go from left back to center back with ease.
Marcus Rashford, a left winger, has frequently led the line, but when he is in that role, his production is significantly reduced. When Bruno Fernandes takes a rightward stance, the circumstances remain the same.
While Antony has barely touched the right wing, Alejandro Garnacho finds it challenging to play there. Due to the recent series of injuries at left-back, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was asked to step in, as he was discovered during the Premier League defeat to Crystal Palace.
The fact is that United, akin to numerous other elite clubs, lacks City’s adaptability. If necessary, Guardiola can make tactical and system changes midway through the game like a clockwork machine.
Ten Hag’s order would completely disarray United, and they don’t have the players to accomplish that anyhow. For the Reds, it’s more about replacing players than it is about changing the players themselves, and that quality might be crucial on Sunday.
Stated differently, United’s Plan A must succeed because City has backup plans, B and C. Guardiola currently has the Cruyff-inspired team of his dreams, something Ten Hag can only hope for.