Is Pablo Maffeo the Unlikely Solution to Manchester City's Full-Back Dilemma?

Among the myriad talking points drawn from Pep Guardiola's first three competitive games in charge of Manchester City, the full-back situation is hot among them.

With much of the summer talk centring on who would line up in central defence in order to enact the "Pep way" and who might play in goal in order to keep the ball moving accurately at the back, it's actually the flanks that have provided one of the biggest causes for speculation.

Granted, some activity in this area was expected—Bleacher Report's Dean Jones reported interest in Ricardo Rodriguez earlier in the summer, and Pablo Zabaleta had a round of discussions with Roma, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t TalkSport)—but the Citizens eventually entered the 2016-17 campaign with a stable of the aforementioned Argentine, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna at full-back.

Not the finest selection, but far from the worst.

On paper, it's a serviceable quartet. It's enough to hold over for one season and allow Guardiola to address the more pressing issues in the team.

But the way City have played in the first three games has asked things of his full-backs that they have no experience doing: That is, to drift inside, into central midfield, when in the possession phase and underlap more heavily than ever before.

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It should come as little surprise that Pep has instructed them to do this. He spent the last two years at Bayern Munich asking the same of David Alaba and Philipp Lahm.

The issue, though, is that Alaba and Lahm—two of the most well-rounded and tactically versatile players on the planet—are naturally going to take to this role, but the likes of Clichy and Sagna won't.

That young Pablo Maffeo was on the Manchester City bench against Stoke City, then, makes sense. The 19-year-old is one who has impressed Pep during these early stages of his tenure, and his rounded abilities as a footballer make him an excellent fit for the system.

The raw tools he has shown as a full-back make him just the sort of player who can make the breakthrough at the Etihad Stadium this season.

Instincts

One of the few useful parts of pre-season is the assessing of youngsters who are promoted into the first-team squad. They're allowed to integrate and grab minutes by the manager, and those who perform well imprint themselves on their boss' memory.

It's a big chance, and there's pressure to take it.

That reality sometimes sets in for players, and they play scared. Maffeo, though, took the summer's opportunities afforded to him in stride—despite the fact that his first involvement was against a fresh Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich.

Where others' shoulders would slump, Maffeo's enthusiasm shone through. Guardiola described his performance as "amazing," per BT Sport (h/t Goal.com's Dom Farrell).

Maffeo's next appearance, against Borussia Dortmund, was similarly impressive, and it was here that he showcased his very best attribute: his instincts, and his willingness to act on them. In a 10-second phase of play, he intercepted a ball from the back intended for Gonzalo Castro, cleared it, then pounced on the return intended for Felix Passlack in a flash.

Credit: Diretta Sport

That's his game, in a nutshell: Spot danger, deal with it fast. No hesitation, no second-guessing himself. 

He's very good at tracking the ball over his shoulder, and if he can't block the cross-field pass into his winger, he closes the gap fast.

Too often, full-backs in the modern game stay too narrow and allow the wide attacker to pick up speed with the ball at his feet. Many stay so close to their centre-back—for fear of opening up the channel between himself and the CB—and allow their marker a run at them.

Not only does Maffeo shoot to his marker, closing the space and stymieing the attack early, but he also executes tackles very cleanly. His low centre of gravity and short-area quickness allow him to change directions and swivel fast, meaning he can get away with sticking tight and attempting to fish the ball loose, as it's nearly impossible to shake him off.

Versatility enhances buildup

While Maffeo has the raw tools of an ideal full-back, he needs an edge if he's to make an impact under Pep. In essence, he needs to offer the qualities Lahm and Alaba offered at Bayern, but that Sagna, Kolarov, Clichy and Zabaleta don't. 

Full-backs who are comfortable slipping inside are terribly difficult to identify due to the fact that it's not a skill they're regularly able to flaunt in standard systems.

Part of Pep's genius, therefore, is scouting players whom he feels are capable of taking on new, revelatory instruction without actually being able to work with them first. It's why some of his transfers are huge successes, but others fall very, very short.

Fortunately, he's been able to cast an eye over Maffeo these past few months, and the Spaniard has also had the benefit of being tried at centre-back on occasion for the youth team.

Playing centrally has honed other parts of his game whilst refining the best parts. The snappy, instinctive defensive play has remained, while the ability to bring the ball out from the middle has improved.

Credit: Wyscout

Against Sevilla, in the UEFA Youth League, he played centrally in one of the legs and flashed an ability to push out from the back in a central zone and lead play. He's perfectly happy to dribble with his head up, searching for passing opportunities, and his execution when hitting longer balls is commendable.

While City would be mad to try him at centre-back due to his diminutive stature (5'8")—with that said, Pep sees your "mad" and accepts the challenge—Maffeo's brief exposure to this position has hinted that he might be capable of a little more than your average full-back.

This is an extremely attractive quality to Guardiola, and these are the sorts of players he loves to work with and loves to mould.

Chance of a breakthrough?

Players such as Maffeo and Tosin Adarabioyo are in an excellent position despite the fact that their club is spending north of £130 million on first-team players, as the state of the City squad and the restrictions applied by financial fair play mean not every flaw can be fixed.

The reality is a hole in the squad opened up by, say, a departing Eliaquim Mangala can't be fixed by another John Stones. It likely has to be solved by an academy prospect.

With Zabaleta's injury record, there could well be opportunities at right-back this season, as Sagna can't play 60-plus games. Maffeo may only be creeping onto the bench now, but given the skill set Pep has suggested he prefers from his full-backs, opportunities may not be far away.

The good news for City fans is if Maffeo is called upon, they have a young player making great strides and who won't change his game in the face of pressure.

He plays with gusto, with instinctive confidence, and he might well make a name for himself when called upon.

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