Guardiola has the Midas touch! He uses only one move to change positions and save Manchester City s two losers.

This season, Manchester City has carried out a large number of personnel rotations at the right back position. Rico Lewis, Husanov and Nunes have all received starting opportunities. But two months into the season, Nunes, who was a midfielder, became the first choice in this position, and Rico Lewis was fixed in the midfield position by Guardiola. Guardiola's move of "displacement" directly saved Manchester City's two losers.

In the 2-0 Champions League victory over Villarreal in midweek, Nunes and Rico Lewis started at the same time. Fans unfamiliar with Manchester City may think that a midfielder who has been forced to switch to right-back is finally returning to his favorite position. In fact, the right back in this game is still Nunes, while Lewis appears in the midfield position. In this game, Nunes and Lewis both performed brilliantly.

Two years ago, Manchester City signed midfielder Nunes for a transfer fee of 62 million euros. Nunes' performance after joining Manchester City was tepid, especially his defensive performance was unsatisfactory. After last season's Manchester City derby, Guardiola said that Nunes lacked the physical ability required to play in the midfield. As a result, Nunes was transformed into a full-time right back by Guardiola.

This season, Nunes started six games at the right back position and contributed 1 goal. Facing Villarreal in this round of the Champions League, Nunes defended well in the game, had a strong ability to read the game, diligently tracked running players, and used his strength to win the confrontation. He won four of the five confrontations, regained the ball three times, and completed 97 of 99 passes, successfully playing the most critical "midfielder" position in Manchester City's tactical system.

In fact, in Guardiola's season plan, Manchester City's starting right back position belongs to Rico Lewis. This season, Lewis did start twice at the right back position. At that time, he seemed to perform well, contributed 1 assist, and received a four-year contract with the team. , but since the 0-2 loss to Tottenham in the third round, he is no longer the first choice at the right back position and has sat on the bench for 90 minutes 4 times in 7 games.

Just when everyone thought that Guardiola was about to give up on this youth training youngster with average reputation, in the Champions League match against Villarreal in midweek, Lewis ushered in a long-lost starting opportunity. This time, Lewis is not playing as a right back, but playing in the middle of the midfield. He assisted Haaland to score the opening goal in just 17 minutes.

In the No. 10 position, Lewis kept running in and out of the rib area to create an angle for receiving the ball. This performance shows that the No. 10 position is his best position, rather than the previous right back position (at the right back position, his height and size disadvantages are easily exposed). After the game, Lewis made it clear that his future lies in midfield.

Objectively speaking, Nunes and Lewis were once criticized players in Manchester City's formation. Nunes is not good offensively in the midfield, and his defense is also rough. But after switching to the right back position, his career prospects seemed to become clear. The situation is even more obvious for Lewis. He was the player who was criticized the most by Manchester City fans last season, but now he has also found the feeling of playing in the midfield position. As a famous coach of his generation, Guardiola turned stone into gold with just one move: "Transformation". His coaching ability has to be admired.