{"id":1390023,"date":"2025-06-27T16:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T15:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1390023"},"modified":"2025-06-27T16:46:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T15:46:37","slug":"man-city-midfield-line-ups","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/man-city-midfield-line-ups\/","title":{"rendered":"Rodri returns and Reijnders recruited: How Man City’s midfield could line up this season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Manchester City have a point to prove next season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After four years of dominance the likes of which we’ve never seen before in English football, Pep Guardiola’s men finally surrendered the title to Liverpool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worse than that, the Cityzens slipped to third, 13 points adrift of the Reds and three behind Arsenal, while they failed to lift a major trophy, losing the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Predictably, City have been busy bringing in reinforcements this summer, signing the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders — maybe in an attempt to keep up with Liverpool’s lavish spending spree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the latter we’re choosing to focus on here, with Reijnders perhaps signed purely to avoid the sort of cataclysmic drop-off City endured after the early-season injury of Rodri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Rodri is back in action at the Club World Cup<\/a> and that got us thinking about the ridiculous depth Man City now boast in midfield once again, and the various ways Guardiola could choose to utilise it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three completely different midfield line-ups Man City could use next season, without even pulling the likes of Cherki and Phil Foden in from their attacking positions:<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Two statements are true at the same time about Manchester City. The first is that they definitely need some new ideas and innovations, but the second is that they chronically missed Rodri last season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, as mentioned, the Spaniard is now back in action, coming off the bench to provide an assist against Al-Ain before starting and managing 66 minutes in the 5-2 thrashing of Juventus; his first club start in any competition since he came off injured against Arsenal in September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You’d wager that Guardiola will now use the rest of City’s Club World Cup campaign and pre-season to gradually increase Rodri’s minutes and get him match-fit for their Premier League opener against Wolves on 16th August. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Elsewhere, Bernardo Silva has just been named club captain, while Ilkay Gundogan was third at City behind Savinho (8) and Kevin De Bruyne (7) for assists in the Premier League last season (6). With KDB gone, Guardiola might want a steady presence in midfield next season, and in this line-up, he has three of the best in that regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If Rodri can reach his 2024 levels again, there will be no problems in this or any other Man City engine room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n