Man City do not need to “see” Gvardiol anymore. Their most important job right now is how to overcome that wall of steel imported from Croatia, and besides, how to prevent him in the times RB Leipzig attack, especially in critical situations. determined. Gvardiol’s performance in the first leg in Germany two weeks ago was near-perfect. Coach Pep Guardiola must have called Gvardiol’s name in a dream, not only because his “first name” (or rather last name) with the Croatian boy’s amazing similarity.
It was the performance of a central defender that Guardiola had always dreamed of. Gvardiol is huge, very powerful, and also very fast. If he had to use strength, he was not inferior to Erling Haaland. However, using strength is only the last solution of the Croatian player. He first uses his intelligence and judgment to assess the situation, then makes great decisions, before using his quality defensive skill set.
–> Man City vs Leipzig assessment, 03:00 on 15/03
When RB Leizpig deployed the ball from home, Gvardiol also frustrated Man City’s attacking players with unbelievable composure. He could wait until City’s pressing players were very close before unleashing passes that sent the ball straight into the very small gaps in their pressing class. Usually, Gvardiol hides his intentions very well, and the direction of his passing is often opposite to the direction of the opponent’s pressing, so when the ball leaves his feet, the opponent often loses his hand in time.
It is said that if you want to know how good a person is, be his teammate or opponent. The City players have had the opportunity to rival Gvardiol and it can be believed that those who have played in Leipzig will have no doubt about the 21-year-old’s quality. In addition to making Haaland helpless, forcing Bernardo Silva to run tired, Gvardiol also pressed the biggest and strongest defender of Man City, Ruben Dias, to score for RB Leipzig in the first leg. Anyone can imagine how good Gvardiol, a left-footed centre-back, will be when placed in Man City’s billion-dollar squad. Citizens fans have naturally dreamed of that day for a long time.
But in England, they are not exactly the team with the most advantages in the race to sign former star Dinamo Zagreb. In an interview before the first leg, Gvardiol revealed Chelsea had a “very attractive” offer last summer and at that time he was really “shaken”. If Chelsea return to the race, they will be the team with the advantage. There is also Liverpool. The advantage of The Kop is that they have a deep relationship with Germany from the members of the coaching staff headed by Juergen Klopp. There is also the family factor. Gvardiol’s father is a hardcore fan of the Anfield team.
In short, Etihad tonight may be witnessing an underground battle between agents or scouts of English teams. They all wanted to take this opportunity to somehow establish a good relationship with Gvardiol and his men. As for what he will show on the field, maybe they won’t need to care too much.
Transfer price over 100 million euros
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that no matter which team Gvardiol goes to, the transfer price will not be less than 100 million euros. Firstly, because that is the best way to value the Croatian player in the current market. Second, it seems that between Gvardiol and RB Leipzig there is an unwritten agreement that if an offer worth more than 100 million euros is sent this summer, the German team will have to let Gvardiol go.
