Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Josko Gvardiol still ranks as the second most expensive defender of all time
ByShamoon HafezManchester City reporter- Published28 minutes ago
Josko Gvardiol appears to be returning towards his best by helping Manchester City to an impressive start to the new campaign after his previous season was disrupted by a serious injury.
Following a 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal in August, City have recovered to win six straight games in all competitions and the Croatian has been part of a defence that has conceded just twice in their opening four Premier League games.
With new captain Ruben Dias and England international Marc Guehi beginning to form a solid partnership in central defence, Gvardiol has been deployed at left-back and making the position his own.
Enzo Maresca's side host Sunderland on Sunday (14:00 BST) in a game the manager has described as being their "toughest" so far this season "because of how good they are".
Victory against the Black Cats will maintain City's winning streak and send Gvardiol off on international duty with Croatia - who face England and Spain in the Uefa Nations League - in high spirits following World Cup disappointment in the summer as his country went out at the last-32 stage.
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Return from injury and attacking threat
With numerous quality options available in central defence, Maresca needed to find a place in the starting line-up for Gvardiol.
The former RB Leipzig player missed five months last season after a broken leg, allowing Nico O'Reilly to continue featuring in an unfamiliar place at left-back.
It means Englishman O'Reilly has had to be content with a place on the bench although the 21-year-old has been told by Maresca he will be given more opportunities in his favoured midfield position.
Sources close to Gvardiol have described him as being like a "soldier", accepting whichever position he is assigned to and performing to the best of his ability for the benefit of the team.
He is thought to be "satisfied" by Maresca's decision and feels overall he has gained more tactical knowledge of the game since moving to England.
Gvardiol had told reporters in the summer it would take "at least a year before everything heals inside", but is understood to be pain free now and has returned to 100% match fitness.
He has played at both centre-back and left-back after arriving at City in 2023 for a £77m fee paid to Leipzig, making him the second most expensive defender of all time behind Harry Maguire.
Sources say Gvardiol feels left-back is a more physically demanding role than centre-half, but one he enjoys as it allows him the freedom to roam forward into goalscoring positions where he has flourished with his marauding runs.
The 24-year-old scored an injury-time winner in the season-opener against Bournemouth, while also providing two assists, including Erling Haaland's controversial strike that sealed a derby success at Manchester United.
Master at duels and tackles
Gvardiol's attacking capabilities do not take away from his defensive prowess.
At Old Trafford last Sunday, he helped City to an unlikely victory with a defiant clean sheet after being reduced to 10 men following Phil Foden's 23rd-minute red card.
Gvardiol kept Bryan Mbeumo in check for large parts of the contest, winning nine of his 11 duels - no player on the pitch managed more - and contested four tackles, a match-high of any City player.
In all, he has won the seventh most duels of any Premier League player this term, while he also ranks in the top 10 for most tackles made by anyone in the top flight.
That has meant Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri, signed at left-back last summer from Wolves, can't get a look-in in his natural position and has instead been used further up the pitch by Maresca.
Gvardiol had a tricky game at Porto in the Champions League tie, getting booked in the first half and then substituted early in the second, but it appeared to be an off-day rather than something more worrying.
During the summer he committed his long-term future to City by signing a new five-year deal, despite interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The defender said he was "happy" to extend his stay at Etihad Stadium and under Maresca "everyone has to fight for their position, no-one is secure".
Gvardiol, though, will be assured of his place if he continues his bright start.
