Successor for De Bruyne already known?
In recent weeks, Pep Guardiola has spoken more and more about Kevin De Bruyne’s place in the Manchester City team, notably after benching him for both of the team’s most recent Premier League matches against Tottenham. De Bruyne will always be City’s go-to player in pivotal matches, despite Guardiola’s increasing temptation to switch him out for Julian Alvarez this year.
So, if De Bruyne is out this week at RB Leipzig, may Guardiola view Alvarez as the preferred replacement? When replacing De Bruyne, the manager has emphasized Alvarez’s potential to provide another body in the box. If Guardiola wants to be more daring in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 first leg, Alvarez may be in line to replace another midfielder.
Tough decision for Bernardo to make
Even before it became known that Aymeric Laporte wouldn’t be playing, Bernardo Silva’s trial run at left-back was likely to generate a lot of discussion before the trip to Leipzig. In order to rescue a point against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, they targeted the back three of Aston Villa and Arsenal and moved Bernardo out of position late in the game. This strategy worked well against both teams.
It would not be necessary to remind Dominik Szoboszlai twice to approach that position for Leipzig, thus moving Nathan Ake back to left-back in a conventional back four this week might make sense. The absence of Laporte and Dias from Tuesday’s practice, though, means that Bernardo will need to be replaced by another defender, and it’s possible that the Portuguese may also need to cover for De Bruyne further up the field.
The time for talking is up.
This week, Ederson stated that City will approach the Champions League with the goal of winning it, implying that a team of their caliber ought to be winning this competition and that Pep Guardiola’s time at the club is deserving of the European Cup. After bitter semifinal and championship losses the past two seasons, Guardiola and others haven’t held back in proclaiming their intentions to go all the way this year.
But, when City returns to European competition for the first time since November, they must play well in the earlier knockout rounds to reach those later stages. Before the second leg at the Etihad next month, a draw would be sufficient, but the Blues will be hoping to make a statement against a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Correcting the Forest’s errors
Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, and Aymeric Laporte were all responsible for missing excellent opportunities for City in the draw at Nottingham Forest. City’s primary problem was their appalling finishing. In the Champions League, they cannot afford to do that, and they also want to make up for the mistakes they made over the weekend. Kyle Walker stressed that if the forwards aren’t scoring, the defense must retain clean sheets, and that will be even more important in Leipzig.
After the Forest draw, Guardiola maintained his composure because he understood that opportunities were being created and that the behavior was appropriate. He is much more concerned when City doesn’t take advantage of opportunities than when they do. The greatest approach to correct a frustrating defeat, even one with a straightforward fix, is to play more clinically in Germany and more defensively if a victory is not likely.
Leipzig memories
This was one of the “easier” matchups that City could have received in the round of 16, but Leipzig won’t be taken lightly, as they shown in the group stage of the previous campaign. Although Leipzig earned a point on matchday six by defeating City 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena after City had already clinched first place, City won an enthralling 6-3 contest at the Etihad. Kyle Walker was foolishly dismissed on a disappointing night as Guardiola pushed for the win in the dying seconds.
Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku, Andre Silva, Dani Olmo, and Emile Forsberg are some of the familiar names that City will have to deal with, but they’ll also have to deal with Timo Werner, who played some of his best football for Chelsea against the Blues. If City believes they have a favorable draw going into Leipzig, they are gravely mistaken. You only need to ask Real Madrid, who lost at the Red Bull Arena during the group round.