Man City midfield mess persists after Guehi experiment, but Bouaddi could join just in time

If only the news that Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi had broken a few days before kick off against Bournemouth, rather than a few hours.

How City could have used someone like that in midfield for their Premier League opener. That may sound like a heavy weight of expectation for an 18-year-old who will be new to English football, but on this evidence, his prospective new side are going to need him to hit the ground running.

They may have got away with one against Bournemouth, using their get-out-of-jail-free card with Josko Gvardiol’s stoppage-time winner (initially ruled out for offside before being given by VAR), but the game highlighted how at risk they are of looking disjointed as their evolution under Enzo Maresca continues.

After last week’s defeat in the Community Shield, City seemed to remain in their Pep Guardiola hangover period for large swathes of their Etihad debut under Maresca.

Guardiola often used to leave lineup predictors scratching their heads, always one step ahead with an unusual choice. There are lots of things City fans are going to have to get used to without him, but that tradition might not be among the things changing under Enzo Maresca.

Indeed, Maresca picked a somewhat unorthodox lineup that featured Phil Foden on the right wing, Nico O’Reilly in the number 10 role and, most surprisingly of all, Marc Guehi in central midfield.

We all knew the City midfield needed a bit of work after losing Rodri and a few others, but before a ball had been kicked, the sight of Guehi in that territory hammered home just how far this midfield rebuild is from completion.

It wasn’t that Guehi looked totally out of place when the game got going. He was comfortable in possession, avoided being too static and even got himself on the scoresheet by heading in City’s equaliser. That wasn’t his first headed chance, either.

The broader issue was that City seriously lacked organisation and structure, not only in midfield but even more so behind in defence. It was proven no more obviously than when they conceded the game’s opening goal.

Abdukodir Khusanov, restored to a central defensive berth after struggling at right-back in the Community Shield, was all over the place before Marcus Tavernier got in to give Bournemouth the lead.

Guehi might have had his unexpected impact in the opposition box on this occasion, but City need him at the back. Ruben Dias was off it too, and City’s weaknesses in defence could have been their undoing.

It didn’t matter on this occasion, but it might in future games if they don’t shore things up fast.

That means strengthening in midfield and settling in defence. It’s even debatable if Bouaddi alone will be enough to tick off that first task.

But on a day where they had to go makeshift and it nearly flew back in their face, it can only be a positive that City are closing in on the signing of one of the world’s most promising young midfielders.

They are stumping up a huge sum for Bouaddi, so it’s a bold move that they will have to hope goes a long way to fixing their symptoms of disorganisation that were on display against Bournemouth.

They’ve spent a lot of money on Elliot Anderson in the same position too, and both will have to be at their best to shift the focus from the perceived decline of what was once one of their strongest areas.

READ: Premier League transfer net spend table for 26/27 season: Man City 16th!