A surprise selection pays off
Enzo Maresca took a bold gamble in his first Premier League game in charge of Manchester City, fielding centre-back Marc Guehi in a holding midfield role against Bournemouth. The decision raised eyebrows before kick-off, with pundits and supporters taken aback by the switch, but it ultimately proved decisive as City came from behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
Guehi scored a towering header in the 84th minute to level the match, and Josko Gvardiol produced a cool finish in injury time to secure all three points. The late rescue act came after City had suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield the previous Sunday, and for much of the match they looked headed for back-to-back defeats to start the season.
Guehi's role and performance
The former Crystal Palace skipper lined up alongside summer signing Elliot Anderson in the middle of the park, despite having spent his career at centre-back. Maresca had both Nico Gonzalez and Mateo Kovacic available on the bench, but explained his reasoning in a post-match press conference.
"In this moment it's a matter of finding a solution," he said. "I know Marc from Palace and always thought he could play midfielder because he's very good."
Maresca detailed how the experiment evolved during training after the Arsenal game. "Sometimes you visualise, we tried in the first two days in the week after the Arsenal game as a central defender stepping [up], and then tried in the last two days as a proper midfielder. And I think it was quite a good performance from him."
Guehi himself admitted he was unaccustomed to the role but enjoyed it. "I enjoyed it today," he told the BBC. "Simply because I had so much help from every single person, and so much support from the team, and when you have that, you feel comfortable to just go out, play, and do what you can for the team."
The statistics underline his effectiveness: he completed 94.9% of his passes from 59 attempts, won all three of his tackles, and came out on top in eight of his 11 duels. Guehi also jested about playing up front next week, a light-hearted remark after his match-winning contribution.
The course of the match
Bournemouth took the lead in the 26th minute through Marcus Tavernier, and for a long spell the home side struggled to find an equaliser. The breakthrough finally came six minutes from time when Guehi headed in, before Gvardiol's injury-time winner completed the turnaround.
Rayan Cherki, who came on for the final half hour, provided assists for both City goals. The Frenchman's impact added to the sense of a squad finding solutions from unexpected sources.
Elliot Anderson made his Premier League debut for City and played an hour before limping out in the second half. Maresca suggested it was just cramp and indicated he would be fit for the trip to Crystal Palace on Friday.
Future implications
Joe Hart, speaking on BBC coverage, commented that the midfield pairing of Guehi and Anderson may not be a long-term arrangement, with Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi expected to arrive from Lille. BBC Sport reported that City had agreed an £86m fee for the 18-year-old, who would fill the void left by Rodri's departure to Barcelona and Tijjani Reijnders' move to Saudi Arabia.
Maresca declined to comment on the expected deal. "To be honest, I didn't see no one from the club," he said. "So after the press conference, I will see them... probably you're more updated than me."
The win eases the immediate pressure on Maresca, who had faced questions after the Community Shield defeat. With Phil Foden starting in the no.10 role and Cherki providing a late spark, there are selection dilemmas ahead, but the manager's willingness to experiment has already yielded a memorable result.
City's next match is Friday at Crystal Palace, where Guehi will return to familiar surroundings, though whether he lines up in midfield again remains to be seen.