Guardiola Praises Gvardiol's Adaptability and Determination
The transformation Pep Guardiola has brought about in Josko Gvardiol has made him a great investment for Manchester City.
In August 2023, Manchester City signed Gvardiol, the center-back from RB Leipzig, for a total amount of $97.2 million, making him the most expensive player in history in that position. Now, the Croatian player has "paid a toll" to play for Guardiola's team, as he has been shifted to play as a left-back.
"There was a period where it was so uncertain that it was really good," Pep mentioned.
On the other hand, Guardiola also commented on Gvardiol's slow adaptation to the British team. "He arrived, and at times he was confused... he lost a lot of balls. Every time he had the ball, he wanted to make exceptional things happen," Guardiola affirmed. And although Gvardiol has become the team's top scorer with a total of five goals in the last seven matches, the Spanish coach knows that the player's role is to defend, not to lose balls and play it safe.
"He doesn't have to lose balls... for defenders, the most important thing is to be secure. Playing simple is the hardest thing in football. And then, if you score goals, it will be more than welcome, but that's not his job. His job is to defend and play it safe," Guardiola concluded.
