Guehi’s midfield gamble pays off as Maresca’s Man City roar back to beat Bournemouth

Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League match in charge of Manchester City ended with the kind of drama that made a mockery of the nerves surrounding the club’s turbulent start to the season.

For 84 minutes at the Etihad, the Italian’s bold decision to field England centre-back Marc Guehi as a holding midfielder looked every inch the curious call it had been branded before kick-off. But two goals inside the closing stages — a towering header from the man in question, followed by Josko Gvardiol’s composed finish — turned a chastening afternoon into a 2-1 comeback that banished the memory of last week’s Community Shield drubbing.

A selection that raised eyebrows

Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola during the summer and has made no secret of his desire for reinforcements before the transfer window closes on 1 September. Yet few expected him to answer the vacancy in midfield by pushing Guehi up from the back line, particularly given that six players in his starting XI are natural defenders.

The surprise deepened during the warm-up, when the former Crystal Palace captain was seen working through central-midfield drills alongside a member of City’s coaching staff. By the time Jarred Gillett’s whistle signalled the start, the deception was over: Guehi was anchoring the engine room, not the defence.

The selection carried real risk. City were still smarting from a 3-0 reverse at Arsenal’s hands in the Community Shield, and with only minutes remaining here they were heading for back-to-back defeats — an unwelcome spotlight that United and Tottenham, both beaten on the opening day, had hoped to leave behind them.

A gamble that finally paid off

Guehi, whose move from Selhurst Park had been flagged as one of the window’s most eye-catching defensive deals, emerged victorious in every one of his three tackles — a total unmatched by any other player — and recorded a 94.9 per cent pass completion rate from 59 attempts. When the equaliser arrived in the 84th minute, it was fitting that the centre-half should supply it, a thumping header that marked his tenth top-flight strike before Gvardiol secured the points.

Maresca was quick to defend the experiment afterwards, describing Guehi as a player he has long believed capable of operating in the middle of the park. The England man, for his part, admitted the switch had taken even him by surprise, joking that he would not be drawn on where Maresca might deploy him next week.

What it says about City’s new-look side

The picture is complicated by the scale of the rebuild Maresca is overseeing. The departure of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to Barcelona, plus the sale of Tijjani Reijnders to a Saudi club, has hollowed out the midfield, and the imminent arrival of teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille — a deal struck on the eve of the match — points to where the long-term answer lies.

Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart, watching on, suggested Maresca is simply experimenting in-season while players return late from the World Cup, mixing and matching a side that has changed almost everything about itself yet remains expected to win. For one afternoon, at least, the boldest instinct of them all came off.

For the full match report and analysis, read the BBC Sport piece.