Manchester City fans were left purring again on Sunday after seeing Josko Gvardiol score yet another stunning goal.
The Croatian defender hit an equaliser against Wolves after Jorgen Strand Larsen had given the hosts an early lead – and it was one of his best yet.
Gvardiol picked the ball up just outside the penalty area on the left side, and cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable curling effort into the top corner.
Jose Sa got his fingertips on it, but there was no chance for him to keep it out.
Gvardiol, who has as many away goals as Mo Salah in 2024, has really made a name for himself in a City shirt when it comes to scoring spectacular goals. But the star is also performing brilliantly well in all other aspects of his game.
And that isn’t good news for Nathan Ake, who is now looking set for a regular bench role this term.
Gvardiol arrived for big money from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023 – £77 million to be exact.
So there was instant pressure on him to perform. He took a few months to properly find his feet, especially because he was playing as a left-back which he hadn’t really done before.
But he was one of City’s best performers in the final third of last season – and this term, he has picked up where he left up.
Gvardiol has thrived on the left of City’s backline, showcasing solid defending and also offering an attacking threat, as evidenced by two goals so far.
To get a brief overview of how he has done up to now, Gvardiol has a 7.61 average rating for City in the Premier League from Fotmob.
He is the third-highest rated City player (7.18) for respected data website WhoScored, with only Erling Haaland (7.88) and Kevin De Bruyne (7.79) ahead of him.
Guardiola recently hailed Gvardiol for his ability in small spaces, and also his superb finishing.
Gvardiol form could make life difficult for Nathan Ake
City fans have barely seen Ake this season as he has been struggling with a hamstring injury. But he was back on the bench for City on Sunday against Wolves.
Potentially, that is something he may now have to get comfortable with, because Gvardiol is looking like a serious player after taking his time to adapt to English football.
Ake is a very popular player at the Etihad Stadium.
The jury was out on him during his first season but in the past couple of campaigns, the Dutchman has established himself as a highly dependable option for Pep Guardiola.
Nathan Ake for Man City (all competitions)
Appearances – 127
Goals – 10
Assists – 2
Trophies won – 10
It is rare that he ever has a bad game, and he’s a player who does the basics extremely well.
His injury was very untimely though, as it has allowed Gvardiol to prosper unchallenged. And it’s to the point where the Croatian is way ahead of him in the pecking order now.
After making 44 appearances last term for over 2000 minutes, £41 million signing Ake will likely be a rotational option for now. And one gets the feeling he’ll have to play out of his skin in order to become a regular again.
Unfortunately for him, Ruben Dias has also started the season well, as has Manuel Akanji. And City fans have seen John Stones have an increasing influence on the team in recent weeks.
Hopefully, Ake – described previously by Guardiola as ‘exceptional’ – will embrace the challenge and we will still be seeing him get decent game time.
