“He will need to improve or I will loan him out as I did to Kavin Phillips this transfer, he almost made a terrible mistake Vs Brentford-Needs to’… Pep Guardiola says £180,000-a-week Man City player has to improve now

Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that Manuel Akanji needs to reach his peak performance again.

Frank Leboeuf recently asserted that the Swiss international was not performing to the same calibre as he did in his inaugural season at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City needs their best players, like the £180,000-a-week (Sport Rac) man, to be performing at their peak since they are nearing the end of the season and there is silverware on the line.

Manuel Akanji needs to regain his form, according to Pep Guardiola.
Martin Keown said he was “shocked” to see the 28-year-old start in midfield following City’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa because he feels much more at ease in the backline.

Craig Burley stated that the Sky Blues will lose both the Premier League and the Champions League crown if defenders such as the former center-back for Borussia Dortmund do not step up their performances.

Now, Pep Guardiola has said that Manuel Akanji needs to return to his previous level of play.

Some players pick up rhythm faster than others, but Manu [Manuel Akanji] missed two, three, or four weeks due to an injury. I will choose who plays, nothing more. Manu is an amazing player, on whom I trust a lot. Also, your rhythm increases with the number of games you play. He stated, “That’s normal” [via HaytersTV].

Guardiola went on, “Manu needs to regain his baseline form. We need everyone to be in rhythm, and the prior games were not. Manu had an incredible game [against Chelsea]. And he raised his level as soon as we read the instructions in the second half.

If Manuel Akanji is going to start in midfield against Brentford, he should be benched.
Pep Guardiola shouldn’t start Manuel Akanji against Brentford unless he plans to use him exclusively as a defender.

Given that Akanji is still developing as a mobile midfielder, a Bees team that plays a constant high press may find it difficult to contain him.

The game would probably become more of a basketball game, which would be great for the visitors at Etihad Stadium. Last season, they defeated them 2-1 just before the World Cup.

Manuel Akanji can play centre defender, right back, or left back, and he should be relied upon to do well against Brentford.

However, Thomas Frank’s team could identify the triple champion as City’s weak point in the midfield and possibly pull off a shock.