Pep Guardiola is known for his tactical brilliance in the modern era. He likes defenders who can play the ball from the back and create plays for his time. The Spanish manager also demands versatility from his players and likes to use them in different positions. Manuel Akanji is one such defender who fits into Pep’s plans and can offer a lot whenever he is on the field. The Swiss defender joined the club last season and won the treble with the English side. Now in his second season at the club, Akanji looks more settled.
Manchester City are a very attacking side and Pep introduced a new formation in the 2022-23 season. He opted to go with 3-2-4-1 after the World Cup and this change in tactics produced goals. Akanji is becoming a key part of these tactics and here are a few stats and visuals that show why this Swiss defender is a perfect fit for Manchester City.
Versatility in role
Manchester City started the 2023-24 season in a 4-3-3 formation. This is a regular formation used by Pep throughout his managerial career. Lately, the Spanish tactician has reverted back to the 3-4-2-1 formation. Last season, John Stones was opted in the midfield role along with Rodri. This season, an injury-hit season has limited Stones’ appearances and Akanji has taken over this role. He can also play as a right-back.
Manuel Akanji’s versatility has allowed him to cover plenty of areas on the field and allowed him to win the ball in different areas on the field. The defender is strong in the air and goes hard for ground-level duels. Akanji has won 67% of his defensive duels, 76% of his loose ball duels and 55.6% of their aerial duels. Other than this, the 28-year-old defender makes around 3.6 interceptions per 90 minutes, with most of these coming inside the opposition penalty box.
The above pizza chart shows the percentile rank of the player in comparison to other right-centre backs in the top five leagues in Europe. Akanji’s passing has been up to the mark and is ranked quite highly. Manchester City mostly stay in the attack and their defenders are involved in minimal defensive work. Therefore, the player has a decent rank on the defensive side.
An eye for a pass
These ball-playing defenders know how to play a key pass in a match. Akanji likes to get on the end of passes and distribute the ball to various areas on the field. In the current season, the Swiss international averages 71.7 passes per 90 minutes with an accuracy rate of 95%. These include 7.7 passes to the final third and that too with a high accuracy rate of 87.6%.
After failing to score a goal last season, Akanji has already netted three in the current season. His aerial ability inside the opposition penalty box has been very effective for Manchester City.
Manuel Akanji has been a great addition to this Manchester City squad. He is offering at both ends of the field. The Swiss defender will be eyeing another successful season with the club
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
