According to The Daily Telegraph Northern football correspondent James Ducker/@TelegraphDucker, Pep Guardiola places great trust in Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis. Ake has featured for City 22 times so far this season, playing a total of 1,570 minutes across all competitions. The Dutchman has been in sensational form recently, scoring the winner last time out against Arsenal in the FA Cup and being defensively impenetrable. With the departure of Joao Cancelo, Ake will be a mainstay at left-back for Guardiola’s side from now until May.
Manuel Akanji, purchased from Borussia Dortmund for £15 million last summer has also appeared 22 times for the Blues so far this season and has played 1,795 minutes for the Premier League champions, the most out of any City defender in the squad currently (Cancelo had 1,866 minutes played but has since been loaned out). Barring the away fixture against Chelsea in which he was a second-half substitute, Akanji has completed the full 90 minutes in City’s previous seven Premier League fixtures.
Rico Lewis, the breakout star of City’s season has featured 14 times for Pep Guardiola’s side and has accumulated 722 minutes played so far this season. Since the World Cup, Lewis has started four out of City’s six Premier League fixtures amidst a change of system for Guardiola and his team, with Lewis inverting into midfield and becoming an auxiliary midfielder alongside Rodri.
With the City manager placing such trust in these three players, it’s hard to imagine the trio not starting in today’s massive Premier League clash away to Spurs, in which City can close the gap to Arsenal to just two points with a win.