Guehi’s midfield role sparks Manchester City comeback in Maresca’s first Premier League game
Marc Guehi scored with an 84th-minute header and Josko Gvardiol added a late finish as Manchester City came from behind to beat Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League game in charge. Guehi’s header was his third goal since joining Manchester City in January and the 10th Premier League goal of his career.
Maresca surprised observers by selecting a side that included six players capable of playing in defence and by deploying England centre-back Marc Guehi in a holding midfield role. City had lost 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield last Sunday and the mood around the club – and among rivals after their opening-day defeats – had been tense before the late turnaround.
Eyebrows were raised during the warm-up when the back four worked through routines with a City coach and it became clear Guehi would be used in midfield when referee Jarred Gillett started the match. Maresca said: "Marc Guehi has never played as a midfielder, today he was very good, so I am happy with the effort from the players." He added: "Sometimes you visualise things. I know Marc from Palace and I always thought he could play as a midfielder because he is very good. So we tried it for a few days and I think he was quite good."
Guehi’s towering header in the 84th minute brought City back into the game and was followed by Josko Gvardiol’s cool finish to complete the comeback victory. The late goals prevented City sliding to back-to-back defeats after the Community Shield loss.
Guehi’s individual numbers were strong: he won all three of his tackles — more than any other player on the pitch — recorded a 94.9% pass completion from 59 attempts and won eight of his 11 duels. Mateo Kovacic was named on the bench and club-record signing Elliot Anderson played an hour on his Premier League debut, with the report saying Anderson "showed glimpses of what he will bring to the side, covering plenty of ground and often snuffing out the danger."
Fifty minutes before kick-off BBC Sport reported City had agreed an £86m fee to sign 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, with Bouaddi expected to play in the pivot alongside Anderson. Maresca said he had no idea about the deal as he has not yet spoken to the decision-makers. The club are working to fill the midfield void left by the departures of 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri to Barcelona and Tijjani Reijnders to Saudi Arabia, and Maresca has not hidden his desire for new signings before the end of the transfer window on 1 September.
Asked where he will play next week, Guehi jested: "Who knows? Maybe up front. We'll see." Maresca said Guehi provides "a solution" in the middle of the park and City head into the closing weeks of the transfer window with recruitment expected before 1 September.
