Kelechi Iheanacho just looks tailor made to be an immense success under Guardiola’s stewardship and he is a player that City fans will be absolutely delighted with what they saw here.
The Nigerian’s energy and efficiency are super and he looks capable of playing in any of the front four positions, something his manager will adore.
In essence he is a striker, excellent on the spin, alert, great feet and a wonderful eye for goal but he is so much more than that. He has a real eye for a pass and links up well with those around him, while he is just as capable of tracking a full-back out wide as he is of producing a great piece of individual skill to skip past his man.
Pep thrives on taking youngsters and developing them into great players. Take a look at his CV and that is what he is perhaps most famous for. His biggest success was turning Lionel Messi not the world’s greatest player and making the fulcrum of the best club side in history.
Now, to say that Iheanancho will be as good as Messi would be a little crass but he has the ability to be world class and has already gathered great experience for a player who is still only 19. He may get the chance to start the season in the XI and when those players who took part in the Euros get back up to speed, they may find him hard to oust from the line-up.
City Have Keeper Problems
Willy Caballero was brought to Manchester City with the intention of challenging Joe Hart but in all honest since he turned up in the north-west, it has been his place on the bench that has appeared more under threat than the England keeper’s number one berth.
He doesn’t look any more at home under Pep Guardiola if this match is anything to go by.
The Spanish boss wants his goalkeeper to be superb with hid feet and confident on the ball, a sweeper or quarterback, who can pick a pass and prove the base of an attack. Well, Caballero looks so far off that it is untrue.
Every time the ball was at his feet he looked nervous and a little lost. Granted, the pitch didn’t help but it was the anxiousness with which he addressed the ball that will be the real worry. Throw in the fact he was dreadful at commanding his area and inspires little confidence in his defenders and it all looks a little concerning.
Hart experienced a woeful Euros and does not look like a stopper that would fit the Guardiola mould. His footwork and distribution aren’t great and while he may start as the club’s number one he will come under huge pressure from the more technical Geronimo Rulli, who is expected to join in the near future.
