Gvardiol: The Soldier Driving Manchester City's Perfect Start

Josko Gvardiol is starting to look like himself again – and that’s bad news for the rest of the Premier League.

A year on from the broken leg that ripped a hole in his debut season, the Croatian defender has emerged as one of the driving forces behind Manchester City’s perfect opening to the campaign, anchoring a back line that has conceded just twice in four league games.

It didn’t start that way. A 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield in August raised questions about Enzo Maresca’s new era and City’s defensive balance. Since then, City have answered with six straight wins in all competitions. Gvardiol has been at the heart of that response.

From £77m centre-back to marauding left-back

Signed from RB Leipzig in 2023 for £77m, making him the second most expensive defender in history behind Harry Maguire, Gvardiol arrived as an elite centre-back. At City, that hasn’t guaranteed him a place in the middle.

With new captain Ruben Dias and England international Marc Guehi quickly forming a commanding partnership at centre-half, Maresca had a problem most managers would envy: too many high-level central defenders, not enough shirts.

The solution was bold. Gvardiol has been shifted to left-back and, week by week, is turning the role into his own personal stage.

Sources close to the player describe him as a “soldier” – do the job, any job, no complaints. That attitude has smoothed the transition. He is understood to be satisfied with Maresca’s decision and believes the move to England has sharpened his tactical understanding.

He had warned in the summer that it would take “at least a year before everything heals inside” after his leg break. Now, those around him say he is pain free and back to full match fitness. The way he is playing, it shows.

Attacking licence, defensive edge

Gvardiol doesn’t see left-back as an easy shift. Those close to him say he finds it more physically demanding than centre-half. He has to run more, cover more, think quicker. He also relishes it.

From that flank he can surge into advanced positions, step into midfield, even arrive in the box. The freedom suits him.

He announced himself this season with an injury-time winner in the opener against Bournemouth, then followed it up with two assists – including the cross for Erling Haaland’s controversial derby-clinching goal at Manchester United.

These are not cameo contributions. They are decisive moments.

Yet the attacking numbers don’t come at the expense of defensive work. At Old Trafford last Sunday, City were reduced to 10 men when Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute. The script said United should take control. Gvardiol tore that up.

He kept Bryan Mbeumo quiet for long spells, winning nine of his 11 duels – more than any other player on the pitch – and making four tackles, the most of any City player. Across the league campaign, he sits seventh for total duels won and ranks in the top 10 for tackles made in the Premier League.

That level of consistency has pushed Algeria international Rayan Ait-Nouri, signed from Wolves as a specialist left-back last summer, out of his natural role. Maresca has been forced to use him higher up the pitch because Gvardiol simply won’t let go of the shirt.

Setbacks, competition and a secure future

It has not all been flawless. Gvardiol endured a rough night in Porto in the Champions League, booked in the first half and substituted early in the second. It looked like an off-day rather than a warning sign, a reminder that even the sharpest defenders mis-time a tackle or lose a duel now and then.

What matters more is how he has responded. Domestically, his level has barely dipped.

His rise at left-back has had knock-on effects. Nico O’Reilly, who filled in admirably on that side during Gvardiol’s five-month lay-off last season, has been pushed back to the bench. Maresca has reassured the 21-year-old that his future lies in midfield and that chances will come there, but for now he is watching a teammate lock down the role he once borrowed.

City, though, have no doubts about where they stand with Gvardiol. During the summer he signed a new five-year deal, committing his long-term future to the Etihad Stadium despite interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He spoke of being “happy” to extend his stay and of a dressing room where “everyone has to fight for their position, no-one is secure”.

That line fits the reality. The competition is fierce. Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly – all pushing, all waiting. Yet if Gvardiol keeps this level, his place feels as close to secure as it gets under Maresca.

Sunderland, Nations League and a new standard

Next up is Sunderland at the Etihad on Sunday (14:00 BST), a fixture Maresca has already labelled City’s “toughest” of the season “because of how good they are”. Win, and City extend their perfect run to seven straight victories. Win, and Gvardiol heads off to join Croatia in high spirits.

International duty will bring its own tests. Croatia face England and Spain in the Uefa Nations League, a sharp step up after the disappointment of a World Cup campaign that ended at the last-32 stage in the summer.

For Gvardiol, though, the picture is clear. He is fit, trusted, and central to a City side that looks ominously efficient again.

If this is him only just returning to his best, what does the rest of the season look like?