When a watery Pep Guardiola shouted to heaven, “WE CANNOT replace HIM!” we almost believed in him.
How could you ever find someone to step into Manchester City’s leading scorer, Sergio Aguero, all the time? It is impossible.
Actually, it is not impossible, as it turns out. All you have to do is spend £ 100m on Tottenham Hotspur and English striker Harry Kane. It does the transfer trick. The writing is on the wall for Spurs: their captain and his ambitions have grown out of them.
The same can be said for Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish. The latest word on the street is that the England heartthrob has agreed personal terms with Man City, and he is ready to move on from the club he grew up with as a child.
This is terrible news for Spurs, Villa and the rest of the Premier League. With the two moving forward for a joint cost potentially reaching £ 300 million, a gigantic attempt will be required to stop Guardiola’s average machine.
But what comes as bad news for the domestic game may be good news for the international scene.
Can we really ask for anything more than the best manager currently working in the game to coach England’s four most exciting strikers in Kane, Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden? The quartet will achieve new levels of synergy that other national teams could only dream of, and all Gareth Southgate has to do is put them on the field at the same time.
It can not be too difficult, right? First, Guardiola needs to find out how to squeeze them into Man City’s starting lineup, so Gareth can copy his homework on the back of the class. So, let’s take a look at the possible variations that Guardiola could use with Kane and Grealish on the side next season.
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Of course, we can not forget that Guardiola already has a plethora of attacking talents to choose from, including the incredibly skilled Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres.
They could still function on the right flank, with Sterling out to the left in his usual habitat, Kane in the middle and Grealish behind. If we squeeze Foden into the starting lineup, he can sit deeper in midfield, even if it is not his most natural position.
We are not entirely sure how much Mahrez or Torres fits Kane’s preference to drop deep and hook up games either, while we select pacy runners from wide.
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Yes, this one is a bit playful, but put it this way: Can you see Guardiola pulsating this from nowhere in the Champions League final? And the answer is almost always “yes”.
Kane loves to play the role of playmaker, so why not stick him behind another point of contact? The foot has played the fake nine role earlier in their career, and that would allow the pair to rotate and pull defense across the store.
Add to that the pace of Sterling on the left and Grealish’s trick, on the right, and you have a mentally unpredictable front four. Mental, however, is the right word.
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Another less likely alternative given Sterling’s windy pace that suits the large areas. Raheem the Dream has never really recorded behind the striker, but his ability to run into the smallest gaps and drive with the ball means he could probably nail it.
The foot has killed it for Man City on the right wing, especially in a dub of then-Champions Liverpool last season. He has the skill to crack inside and find his teammates, while firing some dangerous shots from range.
And as for Grealish, we’ve seen how devastating he can be on the left.
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We’ve almost cracked the code here. England were close to starting this front four against the Czech Republic at Euro 2020, although Foden was left out for Bukayo Saka.
As far as the top three go, there is tact, penetration and deception, with Kane the obvious benefactor of his edge’s movements. Behind him is Grealish, who has made his number 10 number for much of his career.
He only really exploded since he moved out to the left flank, however …
The ultimate lineup / ANDY RAIN / Getty Images
We think this is the best system that suits each individual and the whole team down to the ground.
Grealish has become much more comfortable on the left flank, floating around and appearing in space when he can. Sterling has been doing business on the left for several years, but he showed at Euro 2020 that he can be just as devastating on the right.
Foden also proved during his early performances during the summer tournament that he can thrive in a more central position, carry the ball and pick out the more advanced ones.
And then there is Kane, who lets in, leaves his runners behind and ends free-floating movements when he likes it. Hand Man City Premier League trophy and England 2022 World Cup right now.
Soccer is coming home (for real this time).
