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Manchester City Fan View: Otamendi a shining example to all

Nicolas Otamendi signs two-year contract extension with Man City as leaders look to tie down key players
Nicolas Otamendi signs two-year contract extension with Man City as leaders look to tie down key players

Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi has been one of the key players at the heart of The Blues incredible season. As Pep Guardiola’s side have raced away from the chasing pack in the Premier League and made great strides in the other three competitions, the Argentine defender has been essential to it all. In fact, it’s hard to imagine Guardiola’s team hitting these heights without him.

The City hierarchy have been so impressed by the form of the Argentine that they have handed him a contract extension. That will see him through to 2022. For the man affectionately known as The General, it’s richly deserved.

‘Nico’ is crucial to Guardiola for many reasons. At face value, the most obvious reason is his performances on the pitch. Completely assured in a defence that keeps an incredibly high line, his playing style is perfect for Pep’s model. It’s essential to be calm when you play this way; any nerves or lack of belief in the system will lead to costly mistakes. If you put one foot wrong, a pacey Premier League striker will relish the opportunity to punish you.get behind the line and punish you.

Otamendi’s distribution is also perfect for this team. His ability to pick out the right pass that can cut through an opposing midfield is incredible. It also speaks of his ability to read the game all around him. The team could not function without the defenders seeing the game the way they do, and Otamendi spearheads it; understanding the play developing in front of him and serenely aware of what is happening in the vast space behind him, Otamendi is perfectly in tune with everything that occurs on the pitch.

If all of that isn’t enough, Otamendi is even weighing in with goals. He made himself a City hero when he pounced on a stray ball at Old Trafford, turning it past David De Gea to give The Blues a derby victory over Manchester United.

His tangible contribution on the pitch is one thing, but the mental strength of the player is worth just as much to Guardiola. Otamendi is having praised lavished upon him for all of the attributes discussed here. The most incredible part of it all, though, is that it’s they all essentially new skills to him.

At 29, he has completely changed his game. Under Manuel Pellegrini’s stewardship, Otamendi was aloof. He had no awareness of the game around him and whilst he was occasionally strong in the tackle, the reality was that he was unnecessarily aggressive and guilty of diving in. That habit of going to ground too easily was a fault that Pep immediately identified and publicly criticised after a routine away win at Steaua Bucharest early last season.

This change means, to all intents and purposes, Otamendi is a different player. It’s hard to believe he’s the same person. The transition from thoughtless average-at-best centre back to best-in-the-league defender represents a real paradigm shift. It brings to mind Jerome Boateng, who became one of the world’s best defenders at Bayern Munich. He asserted that Guardiola was the first person to teach him how to defend; one wouldn’t be surprised if Otamendi now shared the sentiment.

Otamendi is living proof to any player who wants to work with Guardiola that if you trust him, he will make you a better footballer. Pep showed faith in a player who he could so easily have become frustrated with and sold. Otamendi returned that by being willing to learn a new way of playing. For both men, the relationship is proving to be richly rewarding.