Let him go was very tough and now we are paying for it – Pep Guardiola 

Let him go was very tough and now we are paying for it – Pep Guardiola

Manchester City, the reigning Premier League champions, are reportedly interested in securing the services of Tijjani Reijnders, a standout midfielder for AC Milan, who has thrived under the management of Paulo Fonseca this season.

 

Since his arrival from AZ Alkmaar in 2023, the Dutch talent has made an impressive 61 appearances for the Rossoneri, attracting attention from several top European clubs due to his consistent performances.

 

However, Milan’s start to the current Serie A campaign has been less than stellar, with the team managing only five victories out of their first ten matches, leaving them ranked seventh in the league.

 

Despite this challenging beginning, Reijnders’ contributions in midfield have been a notable highlight for the squad.

 

At 26 years old, Reijnders is currently engaged in contract negotiations with AC Milan. The growing interest from elite clubs such as Manchester City and FC Barcelona has reportedly created a sense of urgency at the San Siro regarding the potential loss of one of their pivotal players, as noted by Corriere dello Sport.

 

Although Reijnders is tied to Milan until the summer of 2028, the club is eager to offer him a one-year extension along with a salary increase as a testament to his impressive form. Nevertheless, there remains a palpable concern that interest from elsewhere could distract the midfielder.

 

Meanwhile, back in Manchester, Pep Guardiola’s side has been experiencing a rough patch as of late, suffering a hefty 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League earlier this week — marking their third consecutive loss. Midfield inadequacies have significantly contributed to this downturn in form for the Premier League titleholders.

 

As the January transfer window approaches, City may look to bolster their midfield, with Reijnders emerging as a potential candidate due to his refreshing energy and skillset. However, securing his transfer would likely involve a substantial financial commitment.

 

Reports from The Mirror indicate that Manchester City is monitoring the situation closely, but Italian sources hint that the attention could be leveraged by Reijnders’ representatives to expedite his ongoing contract discussions with AC Milan.

 

Following their defeat in Lisbon, City must quickly refocus on domestic competition, as they prepare to face Brighton in the Premier League this Saturday. Going into this weekend clash, Guardiola’s men find themselves two points behind league leaders Liverpool, making it crucial to regain their winning form.

 

Pep Guardiola manager of Manchester City with Matheus Nunes during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Manchester City …

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Matheus Nunes seems to be one of the many players to have signed for Manchester City and shown signs of undergoing a redemption in their second seasons at the club.

 

Pep Guardiola’s decision to deploy Matheus Nunes as a left-winger seems to be getting the best out of him.

 

The 26-year-old has started four consecutive games for Manchester City and he has capitalised on the fact that both Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish have been injured recently.

 

An interesting discovery about Nunes’ game has been how direct and productive he has looked out wide.

 

The former Wolves speedster’s two assists and a goal against Sparta Prague, his cross to set up Erling Haaland’s winner against Southampton and his consolation strike against Tottenham Hotspur are examples of his productivity.

 

Nunes must be delighted to finally be gaining Pep Guardiola’s trust, albeit while playing as a winger.

 

Matheus Nunes’ grave error vs Sporting that Pep Guardiola would have detested

But in the build-up to the second penalty Manchester City conceded in their latest 4-1 defeat against Sporting CP, the Portuguese international made a grave error.

 

Nunes had the ball on the edge of the box while City were under the cosh and he could have either cleared it or passed it to either Phil Foden who was right in front of him.

 

Instead, the Premier League champion first received the ball and took an extra touch in his attempts to carry it out of pressure, got dispossessed by Geny Catamo and went on to foul him in the box to gift Ruben Amorim’s side a penalty.

 

Notably, Guardiola claimed Nunes’ first touch must improve back in September last year while being confidence he will get better at becoming “more precise” at the “simple” aspects on the pitch.

 

The Catalan tactician said: “He has to improve the first contact, first touch. Try with the ball like Kevin [De Bruyne], Kevin is incomparable. His energy, the balls in the last games as winger. The quality is so difficult to find. Dribble and make 10, 15, 20 metres.”

 

“He will learn to be more precise in simple things, The way we train, he will get. He has the qualities a manager cannot improve which is so important.”

 

But in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, Nunes started a mere nine games in the Premier League and in those fixtures, he was substituted at half-time at the Molineux Stadium while being tasked to play as a left-winger in a 1-0 win against Bournemouth.

 

 

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This season as well, barring when he scored in City’s 2-1 win against Watford in the Carabao Cup, the ex-Sporting attacker is yet to be handed a start in his natural position in the middle of the park this term.

 

One reason why that seems to be the case is because of how sloppy Nunes can be in possession as well as how perplexing his decision-making can be when playing in midfield.

 

For instance, during Manchester City’s 2-0 victory against Everton last season, Nunes lost possession a staggering 13 times, as per Sofascore as he was eventually hooked off in the 57th minute.

 

With City being far more susceptible to fast breaks in Rodri’s absence this campaign, it is even more important for them to retain the ball as well as possible to keep teams at bay.

 

Manchester City fans wished for Nunes in midfield to become a more regular occurrence after he won the ball by making a crunching tackle during their 2-1 win against Wolves.

 

However, Nunes’ latest error against Sporting could have sent Pep Guardiola a message about not testing him out in midfield as he decided to take an unnecessary risk in possession at a time where Manchester City were 3-1 down and were being suffocated by the opposition press.

 

Nunes backed himself to play in midfield after Rodri injury

After Rodri was ruled out with an ACL injury, the versatile attacker did volunteer to play in midfield.

 

Nunes said via The Guardian: “We’re going to have to fill the void because it’s a massive loss but whoever is on the pitch is going to perform well.”

 

“At Wolves, I played more as a winger and last year here, I played more as a number 10 but when I played for Sporting, I always played in the double pivot so I’m used to every position now. I try to help the team every time the coach puts me on the field but I know the other guys are all ready as well because we have so much quality in the team.”

 

The Manchester City midfielder added: “We have shown that if any player is out, we have another one that is ready and has top quality to play. Last year, it happened with Erling [Haaland] and Kevin [De Bruyne] and we still managed to win. This year, I know we will be the same.”

 

Nunes will have his task cut out if he intends to convince Pep Guardiola that he is at the standard with the ball at his feet to play in midfield.

 

But first and foremost, the Rio de Janeiro-born attacker must become far less erratic than he is in possession.

 

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