Why is Manuel Akanji starting over Aymeric Laporte? Here is a tactical explanation

Many Manchester City fans will be scratching their heads wondering: what on earth has happened to Aymeric Laporte?

The 28 year old Spaniard has had a stellar career with City - winning 4 Premier League titles, 4 Carabao Cups and an FA Cup, and has been the key left footed central defender during his time with the Blues. He has made 170 City appearances, and he gained a huge amount of respect from the fanbase by playing through injury at the back end of the 2021/22 season, where he contributed hugely to City retaining the Premier League title.

But this season, it hasn't been great for Laporte. His season started slowly, as he opted to undergo surgery on his knee injury over the summer break, only making his first appearance of the season in the 6-3 victory against Manchester United in October. Since then, he has made just 6 further Premier League appearances, and has arguably become Manchester City's 5th choice centre back, behind John Stones, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji.

Akanji is certainly a very interesting case. He was brought in to be, what many believed, was an emergency backup in an injury crisis. But as it turns out, he has played more minutes than any of City's 5 centre backs, which is very impressive, especially considering he didn't make his debut until City's first UEFA Champions League group game, away to Sevilla. Laporte, it must be noted, has played the fewest minutes of the 5 by a considerable amount (369 minutes to be precise, approximately 4 full games.)

So why is Akanji suddenly preferred to Laporte? For me, there are two theories, one based on speculation, one based on tactical analysis.

From a speculative point of view, it seems to be relatively well known by professional journalists that Laporte is not best pleased when he doesn't have playing time. In fact, in a recent article for The Athletic, Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee touted Laporte as one of City's "bad face brigade," after the players returned from the World Cup break. He was alongside Kyle Walker - who had recently lost his place after the breakthrough of Rico Lewis - the recently departed Joao Cancelo - who lost his place to the rejuvenated Nathan Ake- and surprisingly, Phil Foden, who saw his own minutes limited by the form of Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez.

All 4 of Foden, Cancelo, Laporte and Walker found their minutes reduced after the World Cup, but all have all ,bar Laporte, have found solutions. Foden has picked up his form, and looks a completely different player since his start against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. Cancelo moved on loan to Bayern Munich, where he has perhaps found the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and even Walker was beginning to build up his minutes, until his off pitch antics led to what seems to be another period on the substitutes bench.

But Laporte? There seems to have been no compromise, or resolution surrounding his playing time, and there is a tactical explanation as to why.

It would seem that Pep Guardiola is reverting to a tactic that was first viewed in a City side back in early 2021, intriguingly, the last time Laporte wasn't a regular starter for City

Image courtesy of mancity.com

As you can see from the image above, City's back 4 of Cancelo-Stones-Dias-Ake (from right to left) forms a pattern we are seeing repeated now. Cancelo drops next to Rodri in central midfield, which leaves a Stones, Dias and Ake to form a back 3. This image comes from City's 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Boxing Day 2020.

Image courtesy of mancity.com

As shown by the image above, this tactic has been repeated again this season, using a back 4 of Walker-Akanji-Ake-Lewis. As Guardiola strives for ultimate control, the usage of an extra man at the back, plus an extra man supporting Rodri at the base of midfield, helps City to keep possession, and reduce turnovers and transitions in dangerous areas.

There are 2 things worth noting about that Guardiola likes:

1. Guardiola likes a right footer on the right hand side, and a left footer on the left hand side. He has mentioned numerous times before about the different passing angles that a left footer and right footer provides. As well as this, he likes the outside centre backs to make occasional overlapping runs, which provides much more of a threat when a player is playing on their natural side.

2. Guardiola also likes to play Dias at the centre of the back 3. Reasons for this are his aerial ability, aggression, leadership skills and his strength in blocking shots. And, in a slight criticism to Dias, his ability to carry the ball and break the lines with a pass is inferior compared to City's other centre backs, Stones and Laporte in particular. Those skills are much more suited to an outside defender, and Dias is the only City centre back who can't play at full back, hence, he offers less going forwards. When Dias needs a rest/is injured, it is usually Akanji who deputises for him.

Guardiola has played Lewis, Bernardo Silva and, most recently, Stones, in the full back/midfield role. The things that those 3 players have in common is they're confident on the ball and are tenacious in winning the ball back. When Stones plays in midfield, it leaves a gap on the right of the 3, which Akanji has slotted into and performed in on multiple occasions this season.

So, in terms of Laporte, it is in fact Ake who he is battling for a space with, and not Akanji. Many City fans hold the belief that besides the obvious individual quality Erling Haaland has shown this season, Ake has in fact been the club's player of the season, so Laporte isn't on the bench by anything he's really done wrong in particular.

However, Laporte could make a case to start for any team in world football, so, with that being the case, why would he stay at City being second fiddle to Ake?

Only time will tell, as to how many times we'll see Laporte in a Manchester City shirt again...