da betsson： Guardiola was previously renowned for using attacking full-backs, but City are likely to again line up with four natural centre-backs next season

da 888casino： Back when he was coming through the ranks at boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb, Josko Gvardiol's team-mates would call him 'Little Pep' due to how similar his name sounds to Pep Guardiola's. His new manager even complimented him on his "beautiful" surname ahead of the transfer.

And now, the Croatian has linked up with the Catalan at Manchester City after completing a €90 million (£77.5m/$98m) move from RB Leipzig, making him the most expensive defender of all time (at least in terms of amount of Euros paid).

Gvardiol has all the attributes Guardiola values in a defender after the coach radically shifted how he wanted to set his team up halfway through last season, moving away from having wide, attacking full-backs and instead lining-up with four centre-backs.

Signing Gvardiol rather than a full-back to replace the likely departing Joao Cancelo shows that the shift is permanent, completing one of the coach's more intriguing tactical developments. And the arrival of the Croatia international, who was one of the best defenders in the 2022 World Cup and has had an outstanding two seasons in the Bundesliga, is set to make City's treble-winning defence even more formidable.

GettyBlessed with brutish strength

Gvardiol has one quality Guardiola has always demanded of his defenders: technical ability leading to confidence on the ball. And he has something which has only become a requisite for the coach more recently: remarkable physical prowess.

The defender, standing at 6'1, is blessed with brutish strength, while he looked even more intimidating during the World Cup, when he wore a black mask to protect a broken nose.

The son of an amateur footballer, Gvardiol's power makes him so hard for opponents to get past and allows him to bulldoze downfield and launch attacks, as he frequently did during the Croatia's run to the semi-finals in Qatar.

He also demonstrated his strength in the first leg of RB Leipzig's Champions League last-16 tie with City, grabbing his side's equaliser with a thunderous header. That night he also got the better of Erling Haaland in a compelling physical battle, limiting the Norwegian to one shot. But it's fair to say that Haaland got his revenge in the second leg, scoring five goals in a 7-0 rout.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesGod-given talent

But his calmness on the ball and sensible decision making is what makes Gvardiol stand out from other defenders, especially given he has only played two seasons in a top-five European league. As Croatia team-mate Borna Barisic said during the World Cup: "He plays like he has 100 caps for the national team. But that is what happens when God gives you everything."

After the 0-0 group-stage draw with Belgium, when Gvardiol made one of the best defensive interventions of the tournament by sliding in to rob the ball from Romelu Lukaku late on, his coach Zlatko Dalic could not resist talking up his centre-back. "Josko Gvardiol is the best centre-back in the world," he said. "To play this maturely, it’s amazing. The way he plays, with the elegance he carries the ball."

Gvardiol is a highly coveted resource in football: a left-footed centre-back. His ability with his left foot allows him to seamlessly start attacks after winning the ball back and means he can also slot into left-back positions during games ,or even into the left-hand side of midfield. And that is what makes him so appealing to Guardiola given the coach's new vision for his team.

Getty ImagesFrom full-back enthusiast to sceptic

The Catalan coach always seemed to be an enthusiast for wide, attacking full-backs. His all-conquering Barcelona side owed so much to the thrusting runs and crosses of Dani Alves, while Philipp Lahm was one of his most important players while at Bayern Munich.

And in his second summer transfer window at City, Guardiola turned plenty of heads by splashing out £130m on three full-backs – Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo. Oleksandr Zinchenko, a bargain at under £2m in 2016, also developed into an important squad player at left-back.

Guardiola would later add Cancelo for a further £60m in 2019, and the Portuguese was one of Guardiola's most reliable and decisive players in the title wins of 2021 and 2022. However, Guardiola shocked everyone by sending Cancelo on loan to Bayern in January after the defender struggled to accept losing his place in the team.

The arrival of Haaland changed the way City played, and the presence of a centre-forward meant they had less control of possession than when they played with a false nine, leaving them more vulnerable to counter-attacks.

GettyAke & Akanji thrive as full-backs

This change led to Guardiola prioritising tough, old school defenders such as Nathan Ake, who he turned from a centre-back into a left-back after the World Cup, eventually selecting him over Cancelo. When Ake suffered two injuries in the final three months of the season, meanwhile, Guardiola did the same thing with Manuel Akanji. Despite never playing as a full-back before, the Swiss defender also thrived in the role, putting in particularly impressive performances against Arsenal and in both Champions League semi-final matches against Real Madrid, even if he struggled a bit in the final against Inter.

John Stones was also a crucial part of the re-shaping of Guardiola's defence, turning into a visionary holding midfielder after taking the baton of hybrid right-back/midfielder from Rico Lewis. Stones is now enjoying a new lease of life as one of City's most crucial players having been one of their standout performers in the Champions League final.