SAVINHO’S top-flight debut saw him become the 14th different Brazilian player to appear for Manchester City in the Premier League. For the moment, he shares the same appearance tally as the likes of Gláuber and Kayky. But by the time he’s done in Manchester, the idea will be that he ends much closer to Fernandinho (264) than the aforementioned pair.

It may be very early days, but his Premier League debut invited plenty of optimism as to that longer term view. Despite being cut short at half time by an injury, there was much to like for Manchester City fans, and much that looked ominous for the rest. Savinho was sharp with his touches, split time between the left and right side, and offered plenty of defensive application too. There’s a reason they’ve brought him into Guardiola’s circle at just 20 years of age.

By the time the half time whistle came around, no player on the pitch had created more chances (3) or completed more dribbles (3) than the Brazilian. What’s more, each of those completed dribbles came after switching over to the right wing, rounding Marc Cucurella twice and Romelo Lavia within the space of just three minutes. After wreaking havoc on the left side for Girona in 2023-24, it was from the opposite side where Savinho really began to light the game up at the end of the first half.

In Opta’s database, which dates back to 2003-04, no Manchester City player had ever previously created 3+ chances and completed 3+ dribbles when playing 45 or fewer minutes in a Premier League game. Meanwhile, the previous two players to do both on their first league start for City were Phil Foden in 2019 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2015, both of whom played 90 minutes.

“How smooth does [Savinho] look?!,” was the question Gary Neville posed during the first half, as the youngster got to work. “He’s looked exciting to say the least.”

In a game where Jérémy Doku also made his mark on the opposite wing, the emergence of Savinho should give Manchester City a new wrinkle in how they can attack this season. Or rather than ‘new’, perhaps a throwback from Guardiola’s past. When his side won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, they did so with a large helping hand from Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané on the wings. For those two seasons, speed really did kill.

Whether by dribbling their way into openings from wide or running beyond the defence to get on the end of defence-splitting passes, Sterling and Sané were the tonic to Manchester City’s control. Through their wingers, Guardiola’s side could flip the switch and go from leisurely moving the ball around to piercing beyond or through the opposition defence. Long possessions were capped off in an instant, with the change of rhythm from slow to fast often proving the undoing of opponents.

Pep Guardiola has never made any secret of his love for wide players who ‘unbalance’ the game. For him, breaking down opposition defences without having individuals who can carry the ball and eliminate defenders is essentially unthinkable. And after playing out certain seasons with fewer of these types than he’d ideally like, the 2024-25 squad can be considered very well stocked in that respect.

Since the start of last season, there are only five players across Europe’s big five leagues who have completed 100+ dribbles. Two of those are players who started on the wings at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, in the form of Doku and, of course, Savinho.

While both players most certainly possess a lightning turn of pace, if there’s an ex-Guardiola winger who Savinho most closely compares to, Riyad Mahrez would be the more apt candidate. In fact, following the team’s victory at the weekend, Mahrez himself took to social media to point out the similarities between them – and not merely for the fact that the youngster was wearing his old number 26 shirt.

Savinho may have played the large majority of his football last season on the left wing, but admits the right side is where he feels most comfortable. While retaining the game-stretching effects that he provides when playing on the left, starting from the right flank opens up his prospects to cut inside and be decisive from there, particularly when it comes to finding his own shooting opportunities.

Once switched over there against Chelsea, the twinkle-toed runs and close control were remarkably reminiscent of Mahrez – a player he cited as an inspiration upon signing for the club.

Indeed, the fact that Savinho has already been drafted into Guardiola’s setup, having yet had a full season playing on his preferred right side at the top level, speaks to the scale of projection Manchester City are working with. Even after producing a season at Girona from which they felt compelled to bring him to the club this early, there is a sense that the surface has barely been scratched on his overall potential.

Where Jérémy Doku has had his detractors with respect to his decision-making so far, producing effective play at the end of individual moves has been less of a handicap for Savinho. In La Liga last season, the 20-year-old led all players for expected assists from open play (9.9) – and by a sizable margin too. Along with his game-breaking ability as a speedy ball carrier, he consistently provided end product when it came to connecting with his teammates.

If he can retain that quality of final pass and decision-making in the final third once moved to the right – as we expect him to in his development at Manchester City – the natural openings that will arrive for him when cutting in on his left foot ought to open a new horizon when it comes to his goal tally too.

Whether Pep Guardiola will be around long enough to witness the best of Savinho in a Manchester City shirt, only time will tell. But for those at the club who’ll be following long after Guardiola is gone, everything points towards the Brazilian being one of their most exciting projects of the modern era.

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