Matheus Nunes: Why Man City cannot win Champions League with makeshift right-back who has "no defensive instincts at all"

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany does not believe that the Citizens can win the Champion League this season with Matheus Nunes operating as a makeshift right-back.

Nunes has featured regularly in an unfamiliar defensive role ever since Pep Guardiola revealed that experienced right-back Kyle Walker had asked to leave the club.

Following a run of error-strewn performances during a collectively torrid period at Man City towards the end of last year, Walker expressed his desire to move abroad and has joined AC Milan on loan with an option to buy.

Man City are now left with only one natural right-back option in Guardiola's senior squad in the form of 20-year-old Rico Lewis, but it is Nunes who has in fact started on the right side of a frail defence in each of the last six matches across all competitions.

Many Citizens supporters are in agreement that the Portuguese has struggled, on the whole, to adapt to his new defensive role during a period when they have conceded 13 goals, including five shipped in last weekend's heavy 5-1 defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League.

Man City were strongly linked with a move for Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso in January, but they opted to prioritise other targets and it is thought that they will likely reignite their pursuit of the Italian in the summer.

Should City have pushed to sign Cambiaso in January after Walker exit?

McInerney would have liked to have seen his team recruit a new right-back in January, but in his opinion, City will feel that they have enough options to "just about plug some gaps" for the rest of this season.

Asked if City should have pushed to have signed a new right-back, such as Cambiaso, after allowing Walker to leave, McInerney told Sports Mole: "Yeah. I understand why they didn't, though.

"There's some rumours that the deal was sort of agreed, but for a summer fee. Obviously there's a January tax on these things, not literally, but clubs have got to be right to ask for an extra £10m. If you're going to try and take a play mid-season, but they can't replace, I get that. It's (generally) a seller's market, not a buyer's market in January.

"I think City probably will go and get that done (in the summer) and I think for now they'll probably [look at the situation and say] Nunes has been a makeshift right-back - but I don't think he's ever going to be a long-term right-back for City because he can't really defend. It's not his fault, but he can't. But they'll probably say, 'well, he's there and he's doing okay', he's probably doing slightly better than Kyle Walker was doing - he had a torrid start to the season.

"They've got Rico Lewis. He can play there of course, and they'll probably look at the idea of [Abdukodir] Khusanov or Vitor Reis, particularly Khusanov playing a little bit more, and if he starts to adapt and gets some minutes here and there, and if Ruben Dias return, don't be surprised to see John Stones or [Manuel] Akanji out wide as well.

"Of course, in the treble-winning season, we saw a lot of that, particularly with Akanji. He was out wide a lot and he started in the Champions League final at right-back until Kyle Walker came on, so I feel we'll see that.

"I think they'll probably go, 'we've added two centre-backs, we've got [Jahmai] Simpson-Pusey who can play there as well, we've got Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, [Nathan] Ake, Dias, Stones, Akanji, we've probably just got about enough right now'.

McInerney added: "We do need a senior right-back [though]. I don't think Rico Lewis is quite ready yet [or] if he ever will be with his physicality, I don't know. Cracking technical football, but I don't know if he's ready to be a starting right-back yet - he just isn't actually.

"Nunes isn't the quality either. He's not comfortable there defensively, so we need a right-back. We can just about plug some gaps now. It's going to cost us here and there, but I understand why they couldn't get it done in January."

Can Man City succeed this season with Nunes at right-back?

Reigning Premier League champions Man City are merely fighting for a top-four finish this season and are also out of the EFL Cup, so there are just two realistic pieces of silverware up for grabs in the FA Cup and Champions League.

In a bid to resurrect City's campaign, Guardiola has strengthened his squad with the additions of Reis, Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez - the latter three have been added to the club's Champions League squad - but there are still question marks over the right-back position.

Asked whether City can achieve what they want to achieve with Nunes playing at right-back on a regular basis for the rest of this season, McInerney said: "What City usually want to achieve? No. But what we want to achieve this season, which is top four now - we're realistic with our expectations - Yeah, probably. Once again I do think the second that we get fit centre-backs, I think he won't be in the team anyway.

"I think Akanji will get a stint out at right-back anyway, or maybe Guardiola looks at Khusanov, this physical, bullish, strong, lightning quick young lad and goes, 'Is that a project Kyle Walker in the making there?' There's physical similarities. He's got that shoulder barge down to a tee.

"Maybe Nunes just gets better and plays there longer, but we can't win the Champions League with Nunes at right-back and I dread to see what Real Madrid will do to our backline with Vinicius Junior - he'll have fun against Nunes, sadly.

"But I think we can get the top four," McInerney continued. "If Nico Gonzalez makes an impact, if Marmoush starts to score some goals, if one of those young centre-backs starts to fit in a little bit more and we find better balance. I think we should be able to just about achieve that.

"This is a season where we very quickly had to reassess our aims and goals because the previous targets just don't seem attainable anymore, and I think that's something I accepted a long time ago."

Will Akanji move to right-back when Dias, Ake return to fitness?

Nunes is seemingly the most likely candidate to start at right-back when Man City welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad Stadium for a blockbuster Champions League playoff first-leg tie next Tuesday.

However, with centre-back duo Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake now back in training and closing in on a return, Guardiola may be tempted to move Akanji over to right-back, which would see Nunes drop out of the side.

"[Akanji]'s form hasn't been great. He's making a lot of mistakes at the moment, but still, even bearing that in mind, I'd much rather Akanji at right-back (than Nunes)," said McInerney. "He's got the experience, he's been there, he's done it - literally done it in a treble-winning season playing at right-back.

"So I would be way more comfortable with that scenario, because once again, Nunes is fast, but he cannot defend. He has no defensive instincts at all.

"I think if those guys are available, if Dias and Ake are available, it makes a world of difference to this Manchester City side."

Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion.

Written by

Oliver Thomas