Arguably, this is City’s best ever squad thanks to five summer deals
LEICESTER City have made five signings this transfer window and yet, if you were to put together their best 11, there’s a very good chance none would make it into the team.
On the face of it, that seems a peculiar approach when the teams they are chasing – the top-four clubs that they have come so close to breaking up these past two years – have arguably all bought players who enhance their starting line-ups.
Jack Grealish gets in Manchester City’s best 11, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo make Manchester United’s, Romelu Lukaku starts up front for Chelsea, and Ibrahima Konate potentially lines up alongside Virgil van Dijk at the back for Liverpool.
But by bringing in the five players they have, City have tried to solve the issue that has been decisive in their inability to keep hold of a topfour spot.
When City’s best 11 is fully-fit, they can break into the top four.
They have proven that over the past two seasons by spending more time in the Champions League spots than any other club.
It was when the injuries struck that City’s top-four bid took a blow.
The players coming in for the starters, without playing particularly badly, could not reach the desired level.
Looking back at the 2-0 win over Chelsea in January, City were phenomenal and dominated every area of the pitch. Their victory was fully deserved.
For that game, only Dennis Praet was injured. Brendan Rodgers had the rest of his squad to choose from.
By the time City played Chelsea in the reverse fixture, the penultimate game of the season and the one that saw them drop out of the top four for the first time all campaign, they had Jonny Evans, James Justin and Harvey Barnes out, while James Maddison was not up to speed after coming back from an injury.
Rodgers’ side were pretty poor, and lost 2-1.
What they needed that day was better strength in depth, players who could come into the side and ensure that the drop in quality was not so great. This window, that is the issue City have addressed.
The first two through the door are the best examples of this.
Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumare, title-winners in Austria and France last season, make City’s bench significantly stronger.
Daka is Jamie Vardy-esque in his pace and finishing ability, while Soumare has the physicality but also the vision to act as a hybrid of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi.
Not only will Daka and Soumare be able to deputise in case of injuries, but also they can come in to allow for rotation and rest, something that Vardy and Tielemans weren’t afforded last season, with the former definitely the worse for that as his goal record suffered in the second half of the season.
Daka and Soumare will also be playing back-up to a starting 11 that crucially hasn’t been weakened.
For the first time since City lifted the Premier League title, one of the so-called big six has not picked off one of their best players.
It shouldn’t be overestimated how important that is
– even if City have always invested the money well in previous years.
The moment the curtain was drawn on last season, Tielemans’ emotional body language had fans thinking he was off.
Ndidi would be perfect for Manchester United’s midfield and everybody knows it.
Barnes is of interest to Liverpool. Maddison was linked to Arsenal for weeks. And yet they’re all still here. With Ryan Bertrand, Jannik Vestergaard, below, and Ademola Lookman added to Daka and Soumare, City have strengthened in the five positions they wanted to at the start of the window, even if the plans had to change.
The Vestergaard deal was not one City would have done if Evans’ injury hadn’t persisted and Wesley Fofana had not broken his leg.
They would have bought a younger centreback otherwise, and then maybe would have had more change for their winger pursuit, with Lookman a good if not outstanding addition.
If there is any frustration from the window, it’s that it still feels like the right-wing position does not have a top-quality player to fill it, even when, at times, it has felt like the most glaring area to address.
Lookman does give City an option though, so at least it has been addressed in some capacity.
There too may be disappointment that Kamal Sowah has been sold before City gave him a chance to see if he could fulfil his potential, while Praet has moved on without ever really being given a fair crack, despite his obvious technical talent.
But to view this window as anything other than a success would be to take an extremely pessimistic view.
More so than ever, City have two good-to-great players in every position. They arguably have the best squad they have ever had.
The assignment was to improve the depth of the team and that has been completed.