A young Manchester City midfielder added stability to City’s lineup and play | OneFootball

One of the more inspiring moves by Pep Guardiola in recent weeks has been the move of Nico O’Reilly to left-back. Being a midfielder by trade, O’Reilly has added another element to the play of Manchester City in recent weeks. He is a calming presence on the ball, and with his size and physicality, he can more than hold his own defensively. Plus, with his ability to get forward, he’s added a dangerous element to the attacking play of Manchester City.

With O’Reilly slotting in at left-back we have seen Josko Gvardiol play at centre-back. Gvardiol’s technical ability on his left foot had added a new element to City’s build-up play. But that move wouldn’t have been possible if Nico O’Reilly hadn’t made the left-back position his own. All told, outside of goals and assists, O’Reilly has brought stability to Manchester City’s play. That is a huge feather in the cap of the young midfielder. It bodes well for his future at the club as he further develops as a player.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, Pep Guardiola was full of praise for what Nico O’Reilly has added to his lineup. Guardiola pointed out that O’Reilly’s physicality and ability in possession have brought stability to his team. The Manchester City manager explained: “Physicality. His presence, he’s an attacking midfielder, his composure with the ball. We were surprised how attentive he is defensively, he has pace. His generosity to play in a position he’s not used to. Now in the back four we are stable, we have pace with Josko [Gvardiol], Matheus [Nunes] and Nico and unbelievable leadership from Ruben [Dias].”

Nico O’Reilly is a serious player and he should start today’s FA Cup semi-final.

What Nico O’Reilly has shown in recent weeks is that he is a serious player for Pep Guardiola’s side. Ever since City’s FA Cup quarter-final tie victory over Bournemouth the young midfielder has become an important player for his team. That is a testament to O’Reilly and his ability. It also speaks volumes about his character as he’s prepared to play a role that is foreign to him to help his team.

Heading into today’s FA Cup semi-final you would assume that Nico O’Reilly would be one of the first names on Pep Guardiola’s team sheet. It would be a major surprise if he didn’t start today’s match. To have a young player bring stability to City’s defensive and overall play speaks volumes about how good O’Reilly is and could become. He’ll have a key role to play against Forest at Wembley. Based on how he’s performed he could be a key factor in today’s match. Nothing would be a surprise based on how O’Reilly’s played in recent weeks.