Since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, Manchester City have never lacked in the attacking department.
But, what was so special about last season’s Premier League success was the defensive unit Pep Guardiola had built with John Stones and Ruben Dias at the heart of all things good.
Despite him having a brilliant season for both club and country last year, Stones has struggled to cement a regular spot this season in the City side. However, after Aymeric Laporte was substituted in the 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, this potentially may give an indication as to the most trusted partnership at the club.
In the latest City In the latest post-match MEN Facebook live, the City is Ours writer Alex Brotherton was joined by editor Dom Farrell as they discussed the fallout from City’s comfortable win against Burnley, including the defensive topic.
AB: “John Stones played really well. He didn’t have too much to do but he played the full 90 minutes and looked assured against Burnley’s forwards. But Laporte didn't look as comfortable as he has done this season and was shown when Dias replaced him for the final 20 minutes.”
DF: “It was his error that led to the Burnley chance at the end of the first half. He was sloppy and, in one of the key moments in the game, he flew in on Dwight McNeil and should he have received a red card? I think a yellow was just about right.
“He put himself in harm's way and he was a bit ragged. When Burnley well they do make it hard for opposition defenders but Laporte really didn’t come through too great. When Ruben Dias came on, it was telling.
“(Pep) Guardiola maybe thought ‘there’s going to be a lot of balls into the box, I need Dias and Stones together’ and Pep coming to the touchline and clapping Laporte really heavily did feel like he was trying to cover up the fact it was a little bit of a humiliating substitution.
“We’re into that stage of the season where there will be rotation but next time a big game comes up it’ll be interesting to see if Laporte is first-choice because he’s left himself a bit vulnerable."
AB: “I don’t think you can ever read too much into a Pep Guardiola decision. It definitely looked to me also that he was overcompensating a bit with the enthusiastic applause.”
DF: “One thing on Pep’s substitutions - we often criticise him for not making changes unless something isn’t working and the general consensus from City fans is that he leaves things too late. But there, as soon as it’s gone 2-0 with 20 minutes to go he’s thought to get Laporte out of there.
“Laporte’s had a good start to the season today but he was poor against Burnley.”
Who do you think should start at the back for City? Follow the City is Ours team on Twitter and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
