da apostebet： When 4-0 up with only a few minutes left on the clock, getting sent off might just be the most foolish thing a footballer can do. In a heated exchange, that’s what Nolito did at the Etihad Stadium towards the end of their Saturday afternoon clash with Bournemouth.
da dobrowin： In simple terms, that is the type of behaviour that can see a player banished from the plans of a manager. For the short term at least, that is an inevitability, with Nolito consigning himself to a period in the wilderness of an immensely talented, deep Manchester City squad.
After years of investment, City finally solved the mystery of summer spending. Buying young along with a couple of first-team-ready additions has set up a squad primed to challenge on multiple fronts and that makes any individual’s slip up perilous for their own career. Nolito is not going to see his career euthanised, but he will have to watch Leroy Sane fill his spot.
Sane has looked a little rusty in his fledgling City career so far. His chance was going to come within the next few weeks, but he has been gifted a queue-jump with Nolito’s own red-mist mistake. The long-term plan for Pep Guardiola was to use Raheem Sterling on one flank and Sane on the other, with both players running from out to in to give Sergio Aguero support. His hand has been forced somewhat with Nolito’s actions, but Sane’s chance will likely fall for the next two games against Swansea and a challenging trip to Tottenham.
It could save a trickier decision deeper into this season and is a blessing for Guardiola. There are no debates over whether to change a winning team, or if Sane is quite ready to play regularly, and consecutive matches with Swansea should give the German perfect opportunity to get up to speed and quash any early nerves.
Yet to start for his new club, the electric German winger will need a period to adapt. As slick as the rest of this City squad has looked to date, a player who is yet to turn 21 and arrived later in the window than most may still be figuring out how to execute his role in Guardiola’s side.
Patience is a must for any young player, but there needs to be an understanding that it could take a little time, from both the fans and the manager. For this reason, Nolito’s suspension has come at the right time. Consecutive starts against Swansea will do Sane’s fitness wonders and allow him to settle into the eleven presumably without the pressure of expectation to turn the game.
Of Manchester City’s carefully manoeuvred summer transfers, Sane could turn out to be the best of the bunch. His early record in Germany, even as a teenager, had the world watching. English football has seen the arrival of a gem.
This could all be completely irrelevant, mind, and Guardiola may play Jesus Navas instead.
[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]