One of the most persistent fallacies in English football is that Manchester City have a deep and plentiful squad.
Time and again last season, in commentary and in print, Pep Guardiola’s supposedly lavish array of options was highlighted as a contributing factor to their success, their stable of players described at various moments as ‘vast’, ‘incredible’, even ‘obscene’.
The numbers however tell a very different story and incontestably so. With the Catalan actively preferring to work with a manageable size of squad, City have used the second fewest amount of players in world football across the last five years.
Moreover, last term, just 21 players made ten or more Premier League appearances for the Blues, despite them fighting on all fronts, two of which were teenagers freshly promoted from their academy. Liverpool, by comparison, used 22. Chelsea, 26.
A much more accurate narrative therefore concerning City’s resources is they excel with a smallish squad but one that is top-heavy with elite fare.
So it is that a typical Saturday sees one of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji or Ruben Dias inhabit the bench, along with Kalvin Phillips ready to step into midfield if called on, while Riyad Mahrez acts as a game-changer in waiting.
There may be a notable drop-off in experience and influence when we look beyond their star-studded dug-out but it has to be said that Manchester City do possess a formidably strong matchday squad.
Yet not even that seems to be the case anymore, not after enduring an immensely frustrating summer that has seen three established players leave in Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez and only two come in - Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic - to replace them.
Elsewhere, Kevin De Bruyne has succumbed to a lengthy lay-off, while serious bids have run aground, most notably their recent attempt to secure Lucas Paqueta from West Ham, the deal collapsing late in the day.
All of which means that with less than a fortnight remaining of the transfer window the reigning champions face another highly demanding campaign, this time minus all of the goals and goal-threat offered up by Gundogan - their team captain no less - De Bruyne and Mahrez. Furthermore, they will have one player less in a squad that was already comparably slender last year.
Does this suggest a bank-busting move is imminent? Certainly, City hold a genuine interest in the explosive winger Jeremy Doku, while a major swoop could develop yet out of the ether, one that has not been speculated on.
Yet, counter-balancing this possibility, it should be stated that last-minute moves in the market is not typically in the club’s MO. It would be entirely out of character for sure.
Acknowledging this leads us to another possibility, one that would also go against type for last term’s treble-winners and current favourites in the Premier League odds to claim yet another league crown come May.
For the first time since constructing their hugely impressive £200m academy in 2014, might the Blues seek to capitalise on the outstanding talent it regularly produces, instead of selling their brilliant kids off for profit?
In the past decade, to better comply with FFP regulations, City have done well from moving on the likes of Jadon Sancho and Brahim Diaz, last summer raising more than £52m from sales involving Romeo Lavia, Sam Edozie and others.
Already during this window, they have profited to the tune of £50m-plus, selling James Trafford to Burnley, Shea Charles to Southampton, and the potentially world-class Carlos Borges to Ajax.
Indeed, it could be reasoned that in recent times only two homegrown players have broken the mould and become established first-team stars, they being the exceptional exception Phil Foden, and last season’s surprise package Rico Lewis, who seemed to come out of nowhere.
Beyond these two, however, high hopes for promising individuals have typically amounted to the odd bit of gametime before an almost inevitable loan move and subsequent sale.
Now though, born from the circumstances of summer plans going awry, could a manager who famously founded his enormous success at Barcelona on the nascent, generational abilities of Messi and Busquets once again turn to exciting youth to bolster his trophy-winning blueprint?
The Catalan has thus far been reluctant to this at the Etihad but perhaps now, needs must, and the talent is certainly there. Moreover, there is a well-known example of such a strategy paying off handsomely, occurring four miles down the road in the mid-Nineties.
During City’s pre-season Oscar Bobb caught the eye, a winger with impish trickery and pace to burn. Cole Palmer meanwhile has already scored in the Community Shield and Super Cup against Sevilla.
Then there’s James McAtee, an attacking midfielder who took a while to settle in the Championship last season with Sheffield United before ripping the league to shreds.
Add in Lewis, still just 18 and developing all the time, and there is a nucleus of an exciting future for the Blues, one forged in academy talent.
Granted, City’s price in the Premier League odds outright may drift as inexperience eventually tells across an arduous campaign. But the sacrifice of the occasional point could well be worth it, considering the welter of talent that will be nurtured, and who they will become.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
