Trying to find the best Manchester City defensive mix is no simple task right now

Trying to find the best Manchester City defensive mix is no simple task right now Enzo Maresca has plenty of work to do over the international break. His Manchester City side have lost their past three matches in the Premier League, and several of the obvious flaws in his team has been exposed. One of those flaws is City’s defence. It is clear to see that Manchester City’s defensive set-up is open to being exploited. However, a lot of these issues are caused by Manchester City’s midfield being far too open which is exposing the defence to situations that are almost impossible to contain. Another fault is that as of yet is no clear established first-choice back four for Enzo Maresca to utilise. Trying to find one is no easy task at this stage either. At this stage the majority of the Manchester City defenders are out of form or hampered. Enzo Maresca has heavily rotated his defence throughout this season. By doing so, there has been no continuity built in the Manchester City defence. However, there have been factors behind this choice from Enzo Maresca. One of these has been the fitness of particular players, the other is Maresca’s team selection. The other is the concerning form of several of Manchester City’s defenders. Nico O’Reilly has been suffering from a back injury since Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Coventry City at the beginning of September. It has now been revealed that Marc Guehi has sustained a hip injury which has forced him to withdraw from the England squad for the upcoming international break. The Nico O’Reilly injury has forced Josko Gvardiol to start at left-back more often than not. Also, Gvardiol’s form has also dipped. He is often caught too far up the pitch playing as an extra attacker, therefore, he cannot get back defensively. On other occasions, Gvardiol has been too passive to prevent crosses coming in. Enzo Maresca has played Abdukodir Khusanov at right-back rather than at centre-back on occasions. Matheus Nunes did suffer an injury but this move was occurring before Nunes was injured. Khusanov is a centre-back, not a right-back. Matheus Nunes is Manchester City’s best option at right-back. That isn’t up for debate. The wise move going forward is for Nunes to start at right-back for the majority of matches. Rico Lewis looks to be more of a squad player rather than a consistent option at right-back. Meanwhile, at left-back, Rayan Ait-Nouri is a non-factor for Enzo Maresca at this stage. Ruben Dias has been exposed at times and Vitor Reis hasn’t yet played a prominent role this season. Ruben Dias is the Manchester City captain and a mainstay of the City defence. He looks to be the player that Maresca will build City’s defence around. At times this season, Dias has been imperious, on others he has looked lost and slow. However, the hole in Manchester City’s midfield is not doing Dias any favours. Surely a system change or a tightening up of the City midfield will help Dias. Lastly, Vitor Reis has only been used sparingly this season. The Brazilian centre-back has a bright future and looms as the future of the Manchester City defence. With his pace and ability to read the game, there is a strong case to be made for Vitor Reis to play a more prominent role in the City defence. The case against Reis is that he isn’t yet physically mature enough to play consistently in the Premier League. But as Dias and Guehi struggle, perhaps Reis needs to be given an opportunity as his strengths as a defender are suited to Enzo Maresca’s system. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s form isn’t helping matter at the back for City either. At his best, Gianluigi Donnarumma is a commanding presence in goal for Manchester City. He is a leader and can be an inspirational figure who organises his team’s defence. Donnarumma is also there to be Manchester City’s last line of defence with his penchant for making crucial saves. However, Donnarumma has been well below his best this season. He has made too many costly errors and his form needs to improve. Donnarumma’s performances add another layer of issues to City’s defence, to be frank. Perhaps it is time for Enzo Maresca to settle on a first-choice back four and work from there. Far too often this season, the Manchester City defence has been exposed when the team breaks. Almost every match this season, City’s opponents have scored or created gilt-edged chances due to the crater in the City midfield. Tightening up the midfield should alleviate this issue. Also, if both full-backs aren’t pushed so far forward in possession, it should help in this regard. The other option that needs to be set is that Enzo Maresca needs to settle on his first-choice back four. What that make up could be is not immediately clear based on the form and fitness of City’s defenders. But the City defence needs continuity to build the understanding of what Enzo Maresca’s demands are at the back. It is almost impossible to implement that with a revolving door policy in terms of selection at the back. Of course, injuries do dictate team selection but the sooner Enzo Maresca settles on his preferred back four the sooner a sense of stability at the back should emerge. Enzo Maresca’s side is a work in progress. For now, the 2026-27 season mirrors Pep Guardiola’s first season as Manchester City manager. City made a strong start to the season but have stuttered. There are a lot of factors on the pitch causing this. One is that Enzo Maresca hasn’t found his preferred back four and you do believe that once he finds his preferred back four it may help his team settle and give them a strong defensive base from which to work.