Man City will be concerned about what they just saw from Josko Gvardiol

Manchester City supporters were rejoicing when Josko Gvardiol put pen to paper on a new deal until the summer of 2031.

Of course, with Man City currently battling against 114 guilty charges, several players are already expected to leave next summer.

Before signing his new contract, Gvardiol had no shortage of interested suitors, with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid both after his signature.

The Citizens managed to hold on, and in the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign, he has dazzled, notching one goal and two assists in seven games.

Not everything has been totally straightforward for the 24-year-old defender, though, who has often been asked to play out of position.

At left-back, he was cautioned against Manchester United and Porto, even being hooked against the latter in the Champions League.

Josko Gvardiol raises alarm bells away from Man City

There is no doubt that some opposition have found a weakness in his game, and Enzo Maresca will be fearing the same after his latest display.

Gvardiol played 90 minutes as Croatia were thumped 4-1 by Spain on Tuesday, 29 September, going up against Barcelona's Lamine Yamal.

While he managed to stay out of the referee's notebook, it was still a very difficult night, and one that could rock his confidence before returning to Man City.

Against the World Cup champions, he created no chances, was dispossessed three times, was dribbled past twice, and won just 46 per cent of his ground duels [FotMob].

Defensively, it was a nightmare for the 24-year-old, and with so many options in the centre of defence for Maresca, playing him at left-back no longer looks to be an option.

What else does Enzo Maresca have to worry about?

Teams up and down the Premier League has seen some of their biggest names return from international duty early due to injury.

The Citizens seems to have mostly escaped so far, but there are still a few days left until the Premier League season resumes against Liverpool.

Nico O'Reilly missed England's 2-0 win over Czechia, and that may force Maresca into playing Gvardiol at left-back during the visit to Anfield.

Other than the 21-year-old, the rest of the squad is currently injury-free, with Jeremy Doku potentially even returning from his long-term lay-off soon.