He Manchester City is going through one of the most critical periods since the arrival of Pep Guardiola in command of the team. Occupying fourth place in the Premier Leaguelos Sky Blues have missed numerous opportunities to secure victories, accumulating up to seven days without adding three. Against this backdrop, the Catalan coach and his team are evaluating strategies to improve their performance in the second half of the season, with a transfer period that offers new possibilities.
In this context, according to the British newspaper The Mirror “City could give free rein to the teenager dubbed the next Lionel Messi in the Premier League in the New Year.” This is how the media in question described Claudio Devil Echeverri, the young Argentine talent who awakens great expectations.
Initially, City’s plan was to lend the young man to Gironaa Spanish League team, when his transfer was officially completed from River Plate in January. However, the injuries of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish they would have forced the Premier League champions to reconsider this move.
Claudio Echeverri, who He turns 19 on January 2nd.would have the technical qualities to be one of the game-changers that the former Barcelona coach intends to incorporate to give a new look to his team. The Little Devil He signed a €25 million deal to join Manchester City in the last January transfer window, and has been allowed to continue developing at River Plate this year.
He Millionaire, for his part, He will try to keep it until after the Club World Cup in the United States next July, but his request would have been rejected by the directors of the Etihad Stadium, reported from Europe.
City’s initial plan was that Echeverri will become familiar with European football in Gironawhich would also help the Catalan team in its Champions League campaign. However, the team that is part of the City Group faces its own challenges in advancing to the knockout stages of the competition as it is in 30th place out of 36 teams in the initial phase league.
At the same time, with De Bruyne, Foden the Greek off the courts for long periods, in addition to the absence of Rodri in midfield after tearing ligaments in one of their knees, City showed difficulties in finding the fluid and creative game that they knew how to have, and that had given them such good results in the past.
Apparently, Echeverri would be seen as a potential solution to revitalize Guardiola’s team, who recently spoke about the current situation his team is going through: “They know what the solution is: give me my players back and we will do it”stated the coach. “Everyone is working incredibly hard this season, like I’ve never seen before,” he added, although he accepted that the shortage of players to rotate is a significant challenge.
Despite these setbacks, City remains eight points behind the leader, Liverpool, who also have one less game. Guardiola has encouraged his players to accept the challenge and continue fighting: “Don’t feel bad, please accept the challenge. It will be more difficult, but it is what it is“, and perhaps in the end we will have more satisfaction with the way we are going to behave with these problems than perhaps in the other seasons in which we won the title.”
It must be remembered that the Manchester club is going through a football crisis, perhaps the deepest since the Catalan coach arrived in English football: it won two of its last 10 games and will now have to face a key duel for its future in the Champions League. against Juventus, in Italy, next Wednesday. On Sunday, they will host United in the city classic.
