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15 million British pounds. Sounds like a lot, but for Manchester City it’s a piece of cake. A bit like when a mere mortal finds a coin between the cushions of the couch.
For the Scheich-Klub, it is the amount that was transferred to Borussia Dortmund last August for national defender Manuel Akanji (27). An amount that could not have been better invested.
Latest proof: Akanji’s performance against Arsenal (4-1) on Wednesday night. Man City dominate the opponent in the top battle of the Premier League from the start at random. The offensive, which is full of stars, is booming, Erling Haaland puts in twice for Kevin de Bruyne, later scores himself, and there is also a goal from defender John Stones.
Akanji signs off Saka, Guardiola is jubilant
Arsenal stars? Almost invisible. One of the main reasons: Akanji. The Winterthur man has just canceled his subscription to Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka (21), who has 25 points this season and is the personified goal threat in the North London side. Before being substituted in the 80th minute, the England international had just 35 touches on the ball and fired once towards goal. There is no danger from him. “He controlled the incredible threat that Saka exudes very well,” said City’s star coach Pep Guardiola (52).
What makes it even more impressive: Guardiola sets the trained central defender as a left back. Proof of how much the Spaniard now trusts the Swiss. The idea came to the tactician after the Champions League game against Bayern. “When I saw the game I said: ‘Manu can do it because he is so intelligent, so smart’,” said Guardiola, who would normally send his Spanish compatriot Aymeric Laporte into the game at left back.
“I saw how he played the duels against Coman, Sane and Musiala. He was great.” The world coach is really enraptured. “He’s so, so great. When you’re this good, you play well.” And that’s what Akanji does on Wednesday nights. He is always right, wide awake, strong on the ball. In the second half he solos through the left couloir as if he were the winger and not opponent Saka.
Rangnick: ‘As if he has always played at this level’
And so Guardiola is not the only one to sing the praises of Akanji. “You hardly recognize him from his time at Borussia Dortmund,” says Ralf Rangnick, who as a TV expert comments on the match for the pay channel “Sky”. The down-to-earth Swabian, coach of Manchester United last season and currently team principal of the Austrian national team, is not one to shower with compliments, having been taken over by the “football professor” in Germany for good reason. Akanji impresses him as a player who “comes off as self-evident, like he’s always played at this level on a team like this”.
Rangnick explains this with the pep effect: that’s what happens when a coach of Guardiola’s stature “is so convinced of a player, has fallen in love with a player, works and talks so much with him, develops him”. The former chief thinker from Leipzig grabs the top shelf for comparison. “It was like with Joshua Kimmich, whom Pep fell in love with in Munich.” And as it is, great things can come from great feelings.
The defensive colleagues were at least twice as expensive
The data proves this too. No other defender in the lavish City squad has more minutes than Akanji. Amazing given the stature he brought to Manchester last summer. His fellow defenders this season have all been at least twice as expensive: around £70m (Rúben Dias), £60m (Aymeric Laporte and João Cancelo, now on loan at Bayern), £50m (Kyle Walker, John Stones), 40 million (Nathan Ake).
The Swiss made 39 appearances for City in all competitions this season, although he only moved to England at the end of August. “He’s a gift,” Guardiola enthused a few months ago. “There are players to whom you explain ten times what to do. You tell him about it once in training and he understands. Proving once again that smart people always pay. We’re so lucky to have him.” Not bad for a bargain of 15 million from Switzerland. And proof that great feelings don’t have to be expensive.
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Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
