Manchester City face yet another must-win match on Sunday when they take Manchester United at the Etihad. Sunday’s Manchester derby is a chance for Pep Guardiola’s side to get one over on their arch-rivals and also an opportunity for them to snap out of their recent poor run. They enter Sunday’s match with one win in their past ten games, which is unheard of during their era of dominance.
They will enter Sunday’s match with only three senior defenders available for selection. Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol are available for the derby. However, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis will all miss the match. Their absence will force Pep Guardiola to think outside of the box to cover the loss of four crucial players. But in a run of games where it has appeared that nothing has worked perhaps an idea from left field could spark the world champions back to life.
How Pep Guardiola covers the loss of almost the entire defence is now something to watch for ahead of Sunday’s match. Does Jahmai Simpson-Pusey start alongside Ruben Dias? That would allow Manchester City to start with their traditional back four. Or will the City manager try something completely out of left field? Perhaps Matheus Nunes will start at right-back as a wing-back and allow Guardiola to start with a back three? That idea has merit but the question of who will start on the left-hand side of that formation would still be unanswered. Perhaps playing Nunes at right-back and Gvardiol at left-back with Walker and Dias at centre-back might be Pep’s best move for Sunday’s match.
An idea from outside the box may help Manchester City spark to life at the Etihad. The tried and true just hasn’t resulted in a change of City’s fortunes of late. Whatever Pep Guardiola decides to do with his defensive make up on Sunday his team must pick up all three points against Manchester United. The world champions need a win to revive their stuttering Premier League campaign. A win over their arch rivals may also spark Manchester City back to life. Perhaps trying something different could prove to be the catalyst for that to occur at the Etihad.
