Manchester City’s £20million recruit gave another defensive masterclass in the win over Fulham and might well prove to be one of the best January signings in Premier League history.
Marc Guehi can play. He can see a pass, he can execute a pass. He is not big on the Cruyff turn but he can beat a man. He is confident on the ball. He can be an attacking presence, having eight Premier League goals and seven assists to his name. Guehi can do a lot.
Over four-and-a-half seasons at Crystal Palace, his game developed to such an extent that every marquee club in Europe coveted his services. But there is one thing Guehi loves doing, one thing that identifies him as an elite footballer in the way that goalscoring defines Erling Haaland: defending.
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After the routine win over Fulham, Guehi had his usual moment of solitude and prayer before joining the team’s appreciation of the support. In return, Guehi was given acclaim that was noticeably vociferous.
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That was because, in a way, Guehi’s performance – particularly in the second half – was every bit as watchable as, say, Nico O’Reilly’s dynamism, Bernardo Silva’s orchestration, Antoine Semenyo’s savviness.
Manchester City supporters are well accustomed to acknowledging the sort of thrilling move that ended with O’Reilly sublimely clipping in the second of the night. They are well accustomed to acknowledging Silva’s intelligence and indefatigability. They are well accustomed to acknowledging smooth attacking machinery.
But what was being acknowledged after the final whistle against Fulham was the nuts and bolts provided by Guehi. The clearances, five of them. The ground duels won, four of them. The tackles won, two of them. The recoveries, four of them. The game-leading 97 passes.
What was being acknowledged was the simple stuff. In a game that had been won by a three-goal margin, these are outstanding numbers.
Talking of numbers, Guehi has actually accumulated eight yellow cards this season, high for him. But he has invaluable discipline in his game. Arne Slot was straw-clutching when suggesting Guehi should have been sent off at Anfield but had he seen a straight red card for his offence against Mohamed Salah, it would have been the first of his career.
And Guehi is a great reader of the game, his anticipation of an attacker’s movements exemplary and, equally importantly, he can second-guess a teammate’s intentions. It was not flawless – Fulham had one or two very presentable chances – but Guehi’s partnership with Ruben Dias had a look of reliability that has not always been familiar to City eyes.
He has made four appearances for City since his £20million move – a move that has instantly put him into the top ten of January transfer window signings – but it is already clear he will be that rarity under this manager: an automatic starter. The defensive Haaland.
When Guehi signed, Guardiola said: “After two or three days, play good or bad, I don’t care. But he is a great signing for the next five, six, seven, eight years.” On the evidence so far, the City boss is spot-on.
