da 888casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
da roleta： As quoted by The Manchester Evening News, Manchester City prospect Taylor Harwood-Bellis has talked up the potential that a centre-back partnership between him and Eric Garcia has.
What did he say?
The pair helped the Citizens reach the FA Youth Cup final last season, and the two centre-backs were even hailed by Pep Guardiola for their performances against Preston in the Carabao Cup earlier this campaign.
Now, Harwood-Bellis has paid a glowing tribute to his partner in crime, and opened up on why the duo appear to work so well together.
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He said: “What Eric sees, defensively, and on the ball, the passes he makes … he is unreal. His talking is excellent as well – he’s a very good footballer. I like playing with him. If I go in for a challenge, he’s clever enough to know where to be if I lose it.
“We’re both different – the same, but different, if you know what I mean! We bounce off each other and it’s a good partnership.”
A message to Guardiola
As City continue to feel the effects of losing Vincent Kompany in the summer, and Aymeric Laporte’s long-term injury, Guardiola could really do with some good news when it comes to the centre-back position. And Harwood-Bellis’ comments certainly provides him with that.
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Though the 17-year-old, and Garcia, 18, are still in the fledgling stages of their careers, their relationship as a bona-fide centre-back partnership surely makes it worthwhile for the Citizens to test them out in the first-team on a regular basis.
When the duo were given the chance to shine from the off against Preston, they helped keep a clean sheet, and limited the Championship’s third-best side to just five shots on goal in the entire match. In contrast, City have conceded almost seven shots per game on average in the Premier League.
Communication at the back is key, and Guardiola having to make do with make-shift defenders like Fernandinho and Oleksandr Zinchenko is not a recipe for success. So Harwood-Bellis’ confidence in his partnership with Garcia will be music to the City boss’ ears.