Three Man City players who have picked themselves vs Villarreal after Everton win
Pep Guardiola has been given plenty to think about when Man City travel to face Villarreal in the Champions League.
Just over a month ago, there were whispers of Guardiola facing sack pressure, especially had his team lost to Man United, but the Citizens are now unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions.
Erling Haaland has continued his ridiculous goalscoring streak, grabbing another two against the Toffees on Saturday, 18 October, but several of his teammates were key to victory as well.
Sadly for David Moyes, Jack Grealish was not allowed to face Man City due to Premier League rules, but it is unlikely that his involvement would have made enough difference.
Here are three players who must be in the lineup to face Villarreal on Tuesday, 21 October.
Matheus Nunes
While Nico O’Reilly will steal the spotlight, being approached by all of his teammates after Haaland’s second goal, the opposite full-back deserves all the plaudits for his performance.
The make-shift right-back was quietly one of the Citizens’ best players at the weekend, creating chances, rarely putting a foot wrong at either end of the pitch, and offering himself all over the pitch.
| Matheus Nunes vs Everton | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Passing accuracy | 95% (95/100) |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Recoveries | 9 |
| Ground duels won | 71% (5/7) |
| Aerial duels won | 67% (2/3) |
Many have debated whether Nunes is able to deputise in the right-back role, but coming up against one of the league’s most exciting wingers in Iliman Ndiaye, he more than proved himself.
Nico Gonzalez
Rodri was unavailable against Everton, and when injury news emerges about the Spaniard, Man City fans collectively hold their breath. Nobody at the club can bring what he does to the team.
However, in one of his better performances for the Citizens, Nico Gonzalez showed signs of being able to fill his shoes when called upon, acting as a tremendous option in the centre of midfield.
He was a complete nuisance to Moyes’ side, stepping into tackles, breaking up play, and winning back possession, all while pushing his teammates up the field and creating chances.
Savinho
Savinho was close to joining Tottenham in the summer, and those links appeared to turn his head in recent weeks. After supplying an assist against Everton, the same cannot be said.
He continued to push Vitaliy Mykolenko further back into his own half, and certainly should have got his name on the scoresheet in the opening 45 minutes.
The Brazilian’s hard work eventually paid off, setting Haaland up for his second goal at the Etihad Stadium, but fans will want to see much more of the electric version of him we saw on Saturday.