Gary Neville Claims Man City's Defence Is 'Still An Issue' Ahead of New Season
By Michael Lee
Manchester United legend Gary Neville is adamant that neighbourhood rivals City need to reinforce their defensive options to have any chance of regaining the Premier League title.
City, stung by last season's failed title defence, have already signed Bournemouth's Nathan Aké for £40m and have been heavily linked with Napoli's commanding centre back Kalidou Koulibaly.
However, in quotes carried by the Express, Sky Sports pundit Neville has claimed that the defensive issues that saw City exit the Champions League to Lyon last month remain unsolved.
"Guardiola swapped his team around for the quarter-final, and the decision backfired as they were exposed at the back. They definitely need better defenders because they’ve struggled badly," Neville said.
"I expected Pep to go to three at the back a lot earlier last season with the issues that he had and the players that he had".
Guardiola, whose team are increasingly perceived as defensively vulnerable, has recognised the need for new blood to come in. Aké is thought to have been been signed should City decide to shift to a back three, though the Dutch defender appears destined to play back-up to Aymeric Laporte should the Citizens continue to operate with a more conventional central two.
Neville continued: "It was hundreds of millions spent on defenders by Manchester City in the last few years and they’ve still got problems at the back last season.
"It’s an issue for them. It cost them not just the league last season but the Champions League as well.”
After two years of Premier League success, City finished 18 points behind champions Liverpool last season. As a result, the club have heavily invested in this summer's transfer market, bringing in not just Aké, but winger Ferran Torres from Valencia for a fee approaching £25m.
Manchester City are still in talks with Napoli to sign Kalidou Koulibaly but no agreement has been reached yet. Slow negotiation - the player is waiting for final decisions too.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2020
Today Man City also loaned out Ivan Ilic (2001) to Verona in Italy [@MatteMoretto @SkySport] ? #MCFC
Reports suggest negotiations remain ongoing for Senegalese captain Koulibaly, but Napoli are sticking to their lofty £68m valuation - a figure that would smash City's transfer record and send our a real statement of intent.
Ultimately, Guardiola and City's recruitment team may feel it's a price worth paying as they look to not only regain their domestic dominance, but finally conquer the Champions League.