Analysing Gabriel Jesus’ two-goal performance for Manchester City against Swansea

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Manchester City left it late, but they managed to get the three points against a much improved Swansea City side. They have managed to take a maximum six points from the last week, which has been important as the rest of the top six have dropped points. Pep Guardiola’s men have moved up to third and are now only ten points behind league leaders Chelsea. They won’t be targeting a title challenge, but if they can finish second, that would represent a good year for the club, especially as they are going through a transition period. One player that looks set to play a big part in the new era is Gabriel Jesus, who has recently joined the squad after signing during the summer.

The Brazilian retained his starting position ahead of Sergio Aguero and repaid Guardiola’s faith in him with two goals, including one in stoppage time to secure the win. He clearly has a lot of mental strength as he has been able to settle immediately in England and his winning mentality has been a welcome addition to the City dressing room. He refuses to give up and continued working hard until the final whistle. There has been a feeling that Aguero doesn’t suit Guardiola’s style of play and the performances of Jesus will make it difficult for the Argentine to get back into the team.

His two goals won’t be remembered for the technical quality, but they showed his intelligence in the final third. Throughout the match, his movement was excellent and he continued to create space for himself and his team-mates. The first goal showed his awareness as he managed to pounce as a good opportunity arose. That is a goal-scoring instinct that sets the best players apart from the rest. Gabriel Jesus certainly possesses it and he will only improve under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

There have been doubts about the Brazilian and his ability to deal with the more physical side to the game. The Premier League is physical, but Jesus has taken it in his stride and already showing himself to be capable of dealing with it. He won two aerial duels during the match and shielded the ball well on a number of occasions. There have been some South Americans that have come to England and been reluctant to do work on the physical part of their game. The 19-year-old is certainly not one of those.

At times, Aguero’s link-up play can be poor and that is one of the reasons why he is currently out of the first eleven. Jesus impressed, finishing the match with an 84% pass accuracy. He rarely gave the ball away and considering the areas of the pitch in which he operates makes that even more impressive. To give it some context, only Yaya Toure had a higher pass accuracy from City’s front six and he was in the deepest role. The Brazilian completed three key passes against Swansea City and was central to everything that was good about Manchester City’s attacking play.

It is very early into his Manchester City career and there will be tough times ahead for the attacker. However, he is showing quickly why he is regarded as one of the finest talents in football. It was a coup for Manchester City to attract him to England and underlines the advantages of having a manager like Pep Guardiola at the helm. Few would have expected him to take on such an important role in the early stages of his City career, but he has made the most of his chance and is already establishing his place in the starting eleven.

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