Marc Guehi contributed to Man City's victory over Salford in the 4th round of the FA Cup with a goal to seal the score 2-0 in the 81st minute. After the final whistle sounded, the center-back had a very long conversation with his compatriot John Stones right on the field.
In that conversation, Guehi was the one who actively interpreted many situations for Stones through body language. The Man City veteran listened very attentively, as if Guehi had been with the team for a long time and passed on experience to a newcomer.
Marc Guehi joins Man City in the 2026 winter transfer window. Although the goal against Salford was recorded as a goal, it was less important than this center-back's performance in previous matches. Just a few days after a good performance against Liverpool, Guehi won MVP in the match against Fulham.
Marc Guehi started for Man City in the 2-0 victory over Wolves, in which he started. However, in reality, he made a very good impression on The Citizens fans before leaving Crystal Palace. Pep Guardiola himself admitted this when commenting that Marc Guehi quickly caught up with his new teammates and the team's playing style.
According to Pep's sharing, Guehi is a central defender who reads situations well, is quick-witted in choosing positions and is very good at one-on-one tackles. The Spanish strategist revealed that the English star only needs 2 sessions to be okay.
Although Salford City is a weak team, only playing in the 4th division of England, Man City had an unfavorable match. After scoring the opening goal very early from the opponent's own goal, Man City could not recreate the image of winning 10-1 against Exeter in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. Pep Guardiola put Antoine Semenyo, Nico O'Reilly and Marc Guehi in to soon find a second goal because he was worried that they might be equalized. Finally, Guehi sealed the match with a goal in the 81st minute, bringing a sigh of relief to his coach.
The match against Salford City was a time when Pep Guardiola gave opportunities to many players who were not regularly started. However, they did not leave much of an impression and forced the main players to play. Among them, Marc Guehi is considered an irreplaceable character at this time in the defense.
When Rodri left the field in the match against Tottenham on February 1st, the captain's armband in the Spanish midfielder's hands was handed over to Guehi. However, right at that moment, the center-back handed it over to Nico O'Reilly because he had only 2 matches for The Citizens at that time. This action of the English center-back shows absolute respect and a very professional attitude towards a newcomer.
After a series of injuries in the center-back position this season, Pep Guardiola has a quality sedative, Marc Guehi. When Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol return, they will have to compete very fiercely for a starting position if they are arranged to play in the center-back line.
Pep Guardiola compared the recruitment of Marc Guehi to signing Manuel Akanji at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. He believed that the club needed another defender due to the sweeping injury storm and Akanji's uncertain future (playing for Inter on loan). Man City searched the market for a bargain contract, partly to strengthen the squad, partly as a "gift" for Pep Guardiola in an effort to persuade him to stay (Pep signed a new contract 2 months later).
After the very valuable victory at Anfield with Guehi in the squad, Man City expects that from now on, he will become the main actor with an increasingly better form.
After solving the problem in defense with Marc Guehi, now is the time for Pep to overhaul the playing style for the front line with the ambition to win the championship. Just winning all 12 remaining rounds, Man City will definitely win the championship and the Spanish coach will not ignore that.
