Pep's fullback fetish: 5 reasons why spending so much on fullbacks could backfire

On 22 July 2002, Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United from Leeds United for £30 million. The deal saw him become the world’s most expensive defender in history at the time, a distinction he would continue to keep for the next 12 years. By the time he left Manchester United with 6 PL titles and 1 CL trophy, he had made his name as one of England’s greatest ever players.

When a new record for world’s most expensive defender was set on July 14, 2017, it was for a 27-year-old English player with 27 international caps. With all due respect to his abilities, Kyle Walker isn’t one of the best defenders in the world, nor is he one of the greatest British players of all time. Maybe Guardiola himself felt a sense of discomfort about Walker holding the world’s most expensive defender tag; and he promptly broke his own record 10 days later, splashing £52 million on Benjamin Mendy from Monaco.

The arrival of Danilo from Real Madrid would then take Manchester City’s outlay on fullbacks alone to around £130 million. Moving on from a generation where a fullback was either a failed centre back or a failed winger (Maradona recently said a fullback “touches the ball 3 times and makes 8 fouls per game”), it is refreshing to see the importance of the position being revitalized in modern football – yet spending so much on fullbacks in a single transfer window borders close to the insane.

Here is why Pep’s fullback fetish could come back to haunt him in the years to come.

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#1 High transfer fees create burden on the player

Mangala has struggled to cope up with his hefty price tag at Manchester City

Eliaquim Mangala. Claudio Bravo. John Stones. Nicolas Otamendi. While the latter two haven’t disappointed as much as the former, it is high time Manchester City learn a couple of lessons. One, the type of coaches they appoint and the brand of football they aspire to play, they are always going to concede a few goals – changing personnel every year is not the solution to that. Two, even if they categorically deny it, the size of a player’s transfer fee puts an additional spotlight on him; and defence is one area of the pitch where it would help to be relieved of that scrutiny.

For no fault of his own, Kyle Walker’s limitations are being discussed in multiple analyses; he is being singled out as the poster boy for the inflation that prevails in modern football economy. Unlike many other recruits from foreign shores, Benjamin Mendy will begin to be evaluated minutes rather than months into his City career, though he had absolutely no say on how much he cost.

Guardiola hasn’t exactly done his new recruits a favour by spending so much on them.

#2 Revamping an entire defence all at once is not a good idea

City goalkeepers have struggled with the constant changes in back four

Manchester City’s goalkeeper struggles should have taught them another important lesson by now – no goalkeeper in the world is good enough until he has a settled defence ahead of him. Had the personnel covering them been chopped and changed every 12 months, even the likes of Buffon and Neuer would have struggled.

In the back four, it is a much more recommended practice to integrate one new player at a time. With the diverse nationalities of his new recruits (Walker- English, Mendy- French, Danilo and Ederson- Brazilian) communication could prove to be an issue as well.

Newcomer Brazilian Goalkeeper, Newcomer English Right Back, Captain Belgian Centre Back, Partner Argentinian Centre Back, Newcomer French Left Back. A great story to illustrate the global brand of the English first division – but not so much a formidable Premier League defence.

#3 Shouldn't have let Zabaleta, Kolarov, Clichy, Navas and Sagna go, all at once

Losing so many figureheads at once would be detrimental to the dressing room

This summer, Manchester City released Zabaleta, Clichy, Navas and Sagna; not to mention the sale of Kolarov to Roma. Not only does this lead to a complete revamp of the defence as already suggested; the loss of these players who have served City over several years will have a huge impact in the dressing room. The derbies will lose that extra edge. The fans will feel a little alienated from the squad.

Rather than a complete overhaul, he should have phased this generation of City players out. A couple here, a couple there; In fact, if such a rebuild was in his thoughts, he should have released two fullbacks and brought one in last summer itself. Dani Alves from Juventus would have been a perfect signing for his requirements – but ultimately that wasn’t to be either.

#4 Could have done with his riches of attacking players

City have many attacking players vying for a first 11 spot

One of the most curious aspects of Pep’s obsession with fullbacks is how often he tends to play 3 at the back. Yes, marauding fullbacks are perfect for such a system, but slotting in a couple of attacking players like Sterling and Sane can do the trick as well.

Pep isn’t short of attacking players. De Bruyne, Sane, David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling are all competing for limited slots in the first 11. With Pep’s well-known penchant for reinventing attacking players in deeper positions, it is questionable whether he needed to sign so many fullbacks.

#5 Ignoring another important position - Striker

City need further depth in the striker department

Engrossed in his nonstop chase of fullbacks, Pep seems to have forgotten that he is on the brink of going into the season with just one injury prone striker and a 20-year-old prodigy to choose from. Wilfried Bony will almost certainly leave the club, and it would be surprising if Patrick Roberts isn’t sent out for another loan spell. Iheanacho has already left to join Leicester City.

Earlier in the window, City had been hopeful of signing Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. That deal looks unlikely to come off now, so City must quickly regroup and focus their efforts on securing one more striker at the very least. Mbappe rumours refuse to go away, yet City would be ill advised to be optimistic on that front either.

Enough with the full backs already, Pep. Sign a striker.