With Pep Guardiola ever so adamant on playing a 3-5-2 formation, some of City’s players will find it tough to get chances this season and the first game against Brighton and Hove Albion at Amex was a major sign of things to come.
City’s setup and gameplay showed exactly what they expect of big money signing Kyle Walker and what they will expect of Benjamin Mendy when he returns to full fitness.
Kyle Walker consistently terrorised Brighton’s left-hand side while also balancing his defensive duties. Danilo was a bit slower than Walker due to the fact that he always had to cut back on his stronger right foot and Brighton accustomed themselves to that.
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While Benjamin Mendy will have no such issues hindering him from bombing forward with pace, another player who has a strong left and can play out wide is German Leroy Sane.
Sane had a great first season despite starting rather slowly. So striking was his impact in the latter half of the season that he was nominated by opposition players for a PFA award.
Rated as one of Europe’s top youngsters, he was expected to continue leaving right backs in awe of his pace.
Instead, Sane looks like the biggest loser in Pep’s newly favoured 3-5-2.
Pep wants to make the 3-5-2 work especially after working on Aguero’s game off the ball.
And while we know Guardiola loves rotating his players, the former Schalke player seems to have fallen down in the pecking order behind Raheem Sterling and possibly, even new signing Bernardo Silva in City’s current formation.
If Mendy performs as admirably as Walker after his return from injury, it would mean that Guardiola will stick to the 3-5-2 more often than not. This situation makes it difficult to see why City’s vast array of attacking midfielders will be on the bench more often.
Sane was used as a late substitute for Danilo against Brighton in the left wing back position. While he showed no glaring signs of struggling in the position, the defensive duties that come with the position seem to be taking a toll on Sane’s playing style.
Is his best shot of game time improving as a left wing back, moving in and mixing it with everyone playing more centrally, or hoping the formation changes to better accommodate him?
His talent surely means that he won’t be down for long and Guardiola still has faith in the player, but the solution doesn’t currently seem obvious.
