A Manchester City defender surprisingly showed plenty in his return from injury
A Manchester City defender surprisingly showed plenty in his return from injury Josko Gvardiol made his return to the Manchester City starting lineup last night as City picked up a crucial 3-0 win over Crystal Palace . Manchester City’s win sees them keep the pressure on Arsenal in this season’s title race. Gvardiol started at left-back last night after missing 25 matches due to the right tibial fracture he sustained against Chelsea in January.
It was a surprise to see Gvardiol start last night’s match. He played 58 minutes before being replaced by Nathan Ake for the game’s closing stages. What caught the eye was how well Gvardiol played, as there were no signs of rust or apprehension in his performance against Crystal Palace.
Josko Gvardiol oozed class in his return from injury. Surprisingly, after such a lengthy injury layoff, Josko Gvardiol returned to the Manchester City starting lineup last night. Gvardiol started at left-back with Rayan Ait-Nouri operating on the left wing.
Given how last night’s 3-0 win for City over Crystal Palace unfolded, Josko Gvardiol spent the majority of his time in the final third. He took up a position just inside Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left, and in possession, Gvardiol showed no signs of rust. His touch map below shows where Gvardiol received possession when Manchester City attacked.
The Croatian international linked up Manchester City’s attacking play well and he was a threat to the packed Crystal Palace defence with his quality on the ball. His best moment came when Gvardiol played a beautiful chipped ball to Phil Foden to allowe the England international to set up Omar Marmoush to score Manchester City’s second goal of last night’s match. Gvardiol’s class was on full display in that moment.