As Manchester City’s Croatian star grows what will be his ideal position?

Across the past two games, Manchester City’s Croatian star Josko Gvardiol has shown his tremendous ability. Outside of his two wonderstrikes against Real Madrid and Luton Town, his play has been outstanding at left-back for the world champions. But as Gvardiol has developed as a player of late, it poses an interesting question. What will be the ideal position for Manchester City’s Croatian star?

When Josko Gvardiol arrived at the world champions from RB Leipzig, the common perception was that he would thrive as a defender. He had starred at the Bundesliga club playing primarily as a central defender. The Croatian international was also one of the best players at the 2022 FIFA World Cup playing in the heart of defence for Croatia. It appeared a natural move for Gvardiol to play at the heart of City’s defence when he signed for the European champions.

But that hasn’t been the case. Instead, Manchester City’s Croatian star has played predominantly at left-back. In this role, his exquisite technical ability has been allowed to shine. He has become an integral part of City’s build-up play, and recently, his ability to drift centrally when City have possession has added another weapon to the treble winners arsenal. It was evident in the two goals he scored against Real Madrid and Luton Town.