Mateo Kovacic as City's Rescuer?

My post contentThe eyes of all the Manchester City fans will be pointed toward Mateo Kovacic in the next few weeks. He will be under heavy pressure to fill in the gap after Rodri's and De Bruyne's injuries. Yet apart from being a huge responsibility, this situation brings an opportunity for once a major talent.

It gives him a chance to finally get rid of the chip on his shoulders and get out of the shadow.

Kovacic.. City's New Playmaker

Mateo Kovacic might just be Guardiola's solution to recent problems. The Croatian midfielder is the logical replacement for Rodri, and not just that, but maybe even Kevin de Briyne, although the Citizens already have Ilkay Gundogan in that position.

He should be the one who starts as a defensive midfielder, even though that's not quite his natural position. He was projected to be closer to the goal, but on the other side, tough times demand creative solutions, and his moving back might be the one.

Rodri's passing abilities are unreal, and he made 93% of accurate passes this year. Kovacic made 95%, though his volume was a bit lower than Rodri's, who had 82 correct passes per game, compared to Kovacic's 62.7.

But that's not the problem here because Kovacic will have a much bigger role in City's game. He is strong and knows how to protect the ball, but he does have a slight tendency to keep possession a bit longer than Rodri, who likes speeding up the game.

Gundogan and Kovacic Taking Over

His cooperation with Gundogan will be of massive importance. Gundo is not the player from a few years ago, but he still definitely knows how to deliver a blow to his rivals. The German isn't as fast as before, yet his playmaking skills are the same. With him and Kovacic, the horizontal movement of the ball might be slower, but not too much, because of City's fast wingers.

Rodri was extremely fast in transition because his decision-making and the fact that De Bruyne stood ahead accelerated City's counterattack. This is where Kovacic needs to eliminate the old habits of stepping on the ball and slowing down the tempo.

A lot depends on Guardiola, who might change his playstyle and slow down the pace. Mateo is a perfect guy for that. Kovacic knows how to create an extra-player advantage because rivals often double-team him when he has the ball in his feet. The Croatian is so strong that one player can't strip him of possession.

It'll be interesting to see how Mateo Kovacic responds to this challenge. Because this might be the moment when he stops being just another guy with big potential and becomes a true superstar.