Inside the transformation of Nicolas Otamendi Man Citys Supe

Up until Friday, Nicolas Otamendi hadbeen known as The General. He has now graduated to the somewhat rarer rank ofSuperman.

Pep Guardiolas most enlightening comments usually come not when he is pre sed for an answer, but when he has something he wants to say. On Friday, when asked for a John Stones fitne s update, the Manchester City bo s made one of his familiarsegues.

Johns return is huge news for us because we have a Superman in the team, he said. Nico Otamendi helped us absolutely without Nico it would not be po sible to do what we have done.

Guardiola is usually reluctant to single out his players for praise at all, but here he was fulsome.

Everybody speaks about a lot of players, like Raheem, like Kevin, like David, like Sergio, and they deserve it, but if I would like to point to some player who deserves all the respect for what we have done until now its Nico.

Nico has been amazing, because hes a guy who even with pain, even with problems Jalen Mills Jersey in the ankle, in the knee, in the back, he always fights. Hes one of the hugest competitors I ever seen in my life. He was so important. I cannot imagine the situation we would be in, in terms Shareef Miller Jersey of the table, in terms of the way we play, without him. It would have been impo sible.

To reiterate, that is Pep Guardiola, who agonises over every single po sible aspect of a football match, attributing Citys record-breaking 18-game winning run largely to the performances of one centre-back.

Behind the scenes the praise goes even further. A source who has worked with Guardiola on the training ground for many years recently told Goal that he believes Otamendis transformation over the past 18 months is second only to Philipp Lahms conversion to a central midfielder.

Lahm, nearing the end of his career, was plucked from the right-back role he had made his own for Bayern Munich and Germany and placed at the very fulcrum of Guardiolas side. He was influential as Bayern took on a new playing style and won the Bundesliga faster than any teamhas ever won a league title.

Otamendi has not changed positions, but he Chuck Bednarik Jersey does looklike a completely different player.

In his first two seasons in Manchester he was often the man caught out, making a bad situation worse by going to ground too easily when exposed, or simply switching off at the vital moment.

Indeed, six months ago his future was the subject of some doubt, only for Aleksandar Kolarov to leave and Citys transfer plans to change. Before Christmas the Argentine was handed a new two-year contract, highlighting just how important he has become.

These days he does the lot. Barring a handful of exceptions he has eradicated the kind of errors which previously undermined him.He has improved the strongest area of his game, aerial duels, even further,and has now discovered the ability and the confidence to play the right pa s at the right time.In Stones absence that has become invaluable for Guardiola, andthe best example of his new-found responsibility came against Huddersfield at the end of November, when he e sentially playedas an extra playmaker.

Otamendi heatmap from game at Huddersfield (Opta)

Being a central defender in our team is not easy, Guardiola explains. You play 40 metres in front of your own goal , defending a lot of space behind, you have to help us with the build-ups, they cant just be worried about defending.

Its so demanding but this can only happen when you are brave, you have courage, you have a huge personality to try to do it.

Right now he's reading the situations, where the spaces are to pa s the ball, amazingly.

Otamendi himself thanks Guardiola for that particular improvement: The confidence that the manager gives you is important when you need to come out with the ball, the 29-year-old told Goal after the victory over Bournemouth. If a team is sitting Rodney McLeod Jersey deep, the centre-backs have to come out with the ball and we have to have the patience to give the pa s at the exact right moment.

To spell out hisimprovement in this regard, Otamendi has made more pa ses (1734) than every single player in the top divisions in England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey and Portugal.

There is nothing wrong with a backwards pa s in Guardiolas system, especially as Ederson can pick out pretty much any target on the pitch from his own area, but 70 per cent of Otamendis pa ses have been played forwards anyway. Ninety-two per cent of his total pa ses have reached their target, making him the most accurate of the Premier Leagues 20 most frequent pa sers.

His 41 headed clearances, 24 succe sful tackles and 31 interceptions have been important, though they are obviously not league highs due to the fact Citys defenders spend more time on the ball than without it. So it is perhaps best to let Guardiola himself explain the other, very specific, areas Otamendi has been improving.

What you have to do when the opponent jumps, what you have to do when the opponent doesnt jump. Where are the spaces in front? What are the runs in behind? Hes reading it really, really well, so Im happy for him, he deserves all our respect for what he has done.

The secret, both men insist, is Avonte Maddox Jersey hard work.

We work on this during the week, we practise everything so that everything goes well on the day of the game, Otamendi says. The first year is always a little harder, with the adaptation to a new playing style and a new idea. This year we pretty much all know the concepts that Pep wants and we try to improve every day, in every training se sion.

Guardiola adds: Im really impre sed, because its not just happened now, its from 18 months working together, and a lot of meetings, a lot of talking about what is a good decision, what is the right way.

To convince them is not as complicated as people believe. After that, its training, training, proce s, proce Andre Dillard Jersey s, and some need more time than the others, but now he's so clever.

What I admire the most is that he did not have these skills. For example John Stones can do it, as its easy for him. But whatI admire the most are the ones for whom maybe its not their strong point, but they try and theydo it. He does that, and that is...wow...that is chapeau.

Hats off, indeed.

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