Could Pep Guardiola turn Manchester City’s Alex Kolarov into a centre-back?

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With speculation regarding transfers as wild as ever in Manchester this summer as Pep Guardiola seeks to build his own Manchester City side, no-one was expecting the biggest shock of pre-season to be regarding Aleksandar Kolarov. When City lined up for their first pre-season game, a 1-0 defeat against the Spanish manager’s former club, Bayern Munich, the Serbian was playing at centre back.

Second choice behind Gael Clichy for most of last season, despite making 39 appearances, it seemed that Kolarov was destined for the exit and was strongly linked with a move to Besiktas earlier in the window, but the revival could give him a second chance at the Etihad under the ex-Barcelona boss. With a busy pre-season schedule ahead, the ex-Lazio man will have to prove himself while he still can.

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Strong in the challenge, Kolarov will bring pace to an ageing and slow back-line made up of the likes of Vincent Kompany and Martin Demichelis, and provides a different option which may be more adept to dealing with the pace that many Premier League strikers can threaten with. With question marks over his fitness, he may also be better suited to a central role, saving him from running up and down the touch-line.

That said, his debut was not quite up to expectations, or at least hopes. The Manchester Evening News described his performance as one where the 30-year-old “did not look comfortable”. It remains to be seen if Kolarov, never particularly well known for his tactical awareness and footballing intelligence, will adapt in the way that Guardiola is hoping for if he is to salvage his career in English football.

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Guardiola has done it before, famously converting Javier Mascherano into a centre-back from a holding midfielder, and playing Philipp Lahm in a holding midfield position instead of his usual full-back role. Both players have excelled in their new positions are a period of adaptation, and Mascherano still plays in his new roles to this day under various different coaches on both a club and international level.

However, Kolarov lacks their footballing brains. Lahm and Mascherano are two of the best in the world when it comes to reading the game and tactical expertise on the pitch, Kolarov less so.

Whilst Kolarov’s central debut was far from convincing, there is still hope. Pre-season is a time for such experiments, and Guardiola is making the most of the opportunity. Kolarov’s future could well depend on Manchester City’s success in bringing in key targets, with the likes of John Stones, Kostas Manolas and others linked with a move to the blue half of Manchester, should they secure their services it seems unlikely that Kolarov would be needed in any position.

With a move still seeming the most likely option, Kolarov has been given one last life-line to save his Manchester City career?

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