Pep Guardiola might rethink his Man City January transfer window plans

Manchester City got back to winning ways by beating Southampton but Pep Guardiola still has an issue over who to select at left-back.

Aleks Zinchenko struggled at left-back for City at Southampton.

While the lack of alternatives to Fernandinho have been highlighted recently, Pep Guardiola has an equally difficult issue at left-back.

Benjamin Mendy has been unavailable since November and while Manchester City coped without him last season, stand-ins Fabian Delph and Aleks Zinchenko have found it much tougher this season.

It was Zincheko occupying that position at St Mary’s after Delph’s Boxing Day dismissal and he had a difficult afternoon, caught in possession for the equaliser and surviving a penalty appeal, correctly, before half-time.

The 22-year-old is clearly comfortable on the ball and going forward, see his stunning cross for Sergio Aguero’s goal, but he is being targeted defensively and playing him at left-back against Liverpool would be a huge risk.

Guardiola was effusive in his praise for Zinchenko after the game and he did stand up to be counted after his mistake, but City's lack of competition for Mendy could come back to haunt them at some point.

City will only be tempted into the January transfer market by the right deal, but Guardiola must be keeping an eye on available left-backs over the next month.

Partnerships

A lot of what City are about involves partnerships between certain players on the pitch and there is a relationship developing on the right between Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez.

City’s record signing and the Portuguese midfielder haven’t been paired together all that often this season when they do feature they are proving to be a left-backs worst nightmare.

Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez are forming a fine partnership down City's right

Bernardo has filled that right sided midfield slot in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne but he’s been happy to drift to the touchline, often creating an overload with Mahrez, with both capable of coming back inside or going wide.

It was this combination that set up City’s opener, with Matt Targett left exposed as the duo moved the ball around him as if he was a mere training cone.

Kompany’s selection

The injuries City have had to deal with of late have made predicting a Guardiola side even harder than usual.

There were five changes to the side that lost at Leicester City on Boxing Day but perhaps the most surprising was the inclusion of captain Vincent Kompany ahead of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi.

Guardiola was perhaps keen to have his leaders on the pitch at Southampton and with Fernandinho and David Silva also returning there was a far more experienced look to the City side.

Clean sheets

The most disappointing aspect of City’s win on the south coast was a failure to shut the opposition out again.

Just where have the Blues’ clean sheets gone?

This was the 10th successive games City have conceded in and the roll call of sides to score against them includes Bournemouth, Watford, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Southampton.

Decent sides, perhaps, but not ones you’d expect City to be conceding too every week.

City had kept 13 clean sheets in their first 19 outings in all competitions this season, but that defensive solidity has gone missing at the moment.

Ederson

He’s barely human. It was another display of terrifyingly brilliant modern-day goalkeeping from the Brazilian.

His cool feet when City used him to draw Southampton on midway through the first half was exceptional but it was the turn two yards from his own goalline to move away from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg that will stay in the memory.

While St Mary’s took a collective gasp of air Ederson barely fluttered. This is one cool customer.

Manchester Evening News.