City’s Swiss army knife proves his immense value against Brentford

Manchester City’s Swiss army knife Manuel Akanji proved his immense value in Manchester City’s vital 1-nil win over Brentford. He put in a man-of-the-match display which was vital in securing his team three points at the Etihad Stadium.

Akanji lined up at left-back as Pep Guardiola rotated his lineup given City’s busy schedule. It is a position that the Swiss defender is fully capable of fulfilling. His versatility is a vital ingredient of Pep Guardiola’s squad and against Thomas Frank’s side it was a crucial element in City’s victory.

Playing at left-back Akanji’s passing ability was on full display. According to Sofascore he completed 106/108 passes which was a pivotal element in City’s control of the game. He also drifted forward on occasion and saw a powerful effort well saved in the first half by Brentford keeper Mark Flekken. It was a fantastic all round display from Akanji that showed how immense his contribution is to Pep Guardiola’s side.

Speaking post-game Akanji was quick to heap praise on his team rather than soak up praise for his performance. He spoke of how important the win was to his team. Akanji told the media: “Yeah (important to win), especially after the game on the weekend. We knew we had to show a reaction and I think we did that today. We have to keep working hard and improve from game to game.”

While City’s Swiss army knife was quick to praise his team his performance was a crucial element in City’s win. After suffering a knee injury in his team’s FA Cup third round win over Huddersfield his contribution to the European champions was missed during his absence. But based on his display last night he was be a crucial component of City’s chase for history this season.