Josko Gvardiol Rediscovers His Best at Left-Back
Shifted to left-back at Manchester City, Gvardiol has anchored a defence that's conceded twice in four league games as City chase a sixth straight win.
Josko Gvardiol has begun to look like the player who arrived at Manchester City from RB Leipzig, and he is doing it in a shirt shifted from where most expected him to settle.
City have won six straight games in all competitions since a 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal in August, and their defence has conceded only twice in four Premier League matches.
O'Reilly, now 21, has had to settle for the bench since Gvardiol's return, though Maresca has told the Englishman he will get more chances in his favoured midfield position.
City host Sunderland on Sunday at 14:00 BST in what Maresca has called their toughest fixture of the season so far, "because of how good they are". A win would extend the run to seven and send Gvardiol away on international duty with Croatia in better spirits than he left the World Cup, where his side went out at the last-32 stage in the summer.
That trip takes him into a Nations League double against England and Spain, both of whom currently sit top of their World Cup qualifying groups on 7 points from three matches — England driven by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who have scored seven goals apiece, Spain by Mikel Oyarzabal's eight.
By all accounts, those close to Gvardiol describe him as a "soldier" — someone who takes whatever position he is given and gets on with it. That is roughly what has happened at left-back this season, and City's defensive record so far bears it out.
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