Gvardiol’s Left-Back Role Under Scrutiny

Premier League teams are known for ruthlessly exploiting identified weaknesses. Despite this, Pep Guardiola continues to deploy Josko Gvardiol in the left full-back position. While Gvardiol demonstrates strong ball control and significant attacking threat, possessing the potential to be a leading modern centre-back, he is not considered a high-calibre defensive full-back. This assessment was recently underscored by Gvardiol’s performance at full-back for Croatia last week, where he was notably outmaneuvered by a 19-year-old Scottish winger. The text highlights that, from a winger’s perspective, marking by natural centre-backs often felt like an unfair competition, emphasizing the substantial differences between these defensive roles, even when they are only 20 or 30 yards apart on the pitch. While this might not be an issue for City when they consistently control possession and are not forced to defend, this is no longer the prevailing situation. To Gvardiol’s credit, the aforementioned Scottish winger was Ben Doak, who is currently on loan at Middlesbrough from Liverpool. Doak possesses exceptional pace, described as unfairly quick, suggesting Liverpool will likely seek to utilize his talents again in the near future. However, Doak faces significant competition for a starting position, particularly from Mo Salah, which means Liverpool may not need to accelerate the young Scottish player’s integration. A question arises regarding Mo Salah’s contract status, with recent reports indicating he might not sign a new deal.