Why Pep Guardiola Should Bring Augsburg Defender Philipp Max To Manchester City
Manchester City are reportedly interested in a move for Augsburg left-back Philipp Max. The club sent scouts to monitor the Bundesliga star’s performances and they could make a move for him once the January window rolls up. He has been in splendid form for the German club this season and is being regarded as one of their most promising defensive talents. He has broken his club’s record for assists by providing 10 assists in 17 games so far, which speaks volumes about his capabilities.
Max only recently signed a new deal with Augsburg which ties him down until 2022. This means he will not come cheap. However, price tags have never been an issue for the cash-rich club, meaning he could be well on his way to the Etihad Stadium in the near future. The defender joined Augsburg in 2015 from Karlsruhe. He embarked on his senior career at Schalke and has quite a lot of experience. There seems to be no stopping the defender and his equal contribution to the defence and the attack is likely to attract Guardiola.
After all, wing-backs/full-backs have been crucial to a lot of City’s success this term. Kyle Walker seems to have established a strong partnership with Raheem Sterling on the right-hand side and although Fabian Delph has held the fort quite well on the left-hand side, a player like Max could prove to be a massive upgrade.
Pep Guardiola does have the services of Danilo to make up for the injured Benjamin Mendy’s absence but he seems to prefer Delph in that area. That said, Delph is a midfielder by trade and cannot be a long-term solution to their left-back woes.
Max, on the other hand, seems like the best option for them. His attacking prowess is a skill that will help him fit right into City’s current tactical set-up. With his force, any player who starts on the left wing is likely to receive a lot more support, which in turn could increase the number of goals scored by the club. Moreover, he could also look to get his own name on the scoresheet considering how Guardiola encourages his defenders to get ahead.
Max does seem like a good choice for the club but if he were to join, it will be interesting to see what it would mean for Delph. The player has received regular game time as a left-back and he has proven his mettle, which could prompt Guardiola to deploy him more often in the midfield area.