As Manchester City battled their way to a 2-all draw with Crystal Palace yesterday you could see that there is still plenty of fighting spirit left in Pep Guardiola’s side. Despite this, the world champions do appear to lack the legs to keep up with their fitter opponents. An injury crisis and the same players being forced to play every three days have further exacerbated this issue.
But there is relief in sight. Next month Claudio Echeverri is set to join Pep Guardiola’s squad. While it wouldn’t be fair to expect Echeverri to rescue City’s season his addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad may add energy and spark to the Manchester City squad.
The Argentinian wonderkid will arrive at the Etihad with plenty of fanfare. As Simon Mullock reports for the Express in Argentina he is dubbed ‘the next Lionel Messi ‘. The expectations on Echeverri are high in his home country. So far this season for River Plate he has impressed on occasions. However, throughout some of his performances, he has looked every bit of an 18-year-old player learning what it takes to be a professional player.
As mentioned previously, Manchester City has needed youth, speed and energy in midfield. Especially in the final third. This season Phil Foden has been well below his best. Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish have battled injury concerns. Bernardo Silva has bounced from position to position this season. Erling Haaland has fought a lone hand up front. City needs something different in the final third, and they need energy in their squad. That could be where Claudio Echeverri comes in.
It’s too much to expect Claudio Echeverri to save Manchester City’s season so to speak. He is a young player and will need time to adjust to life in Pep Guardiola’s squad. That’s a given. But what he can provide is some energy and a touch of enthusiasm to this Manchester City squad. It’s a common sight in football to see a young player provide a lift to his more experienced teammates. Claudio Echeverri could potentially have that effect on his teammates. It will be interesting to see how that plays out when ‘El Diablito’ arrives at the Etihad.
This season has been a struggle of late for Pep Guardiola’s side. But there is still plenty of this season remaining for the world champions to come to life. There is also plenty to fight for for Manchester City this season. There is also the imminent arrival of Claudio Echeverri coming in a few weeks time. His arrival could provide a spark to the City squad. That will be something to watch for when he does arrive at the Etihad next month.