6/10 star proved why Man City need Gibbs-White

Manchester City’s Champions League ambitions took a hit as they could only draw 0-0 with relegated Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.

City now have just two games left in the Premier League and now have 65 points. There are still four teams below them who could beat them to a top-five finish, especially if Pep Guardiola’s men drop more points.

There is everything to play for over the next couple of weeks, that’s for sure. The Spaniard will be looking for a better performance than this, however.

Man City’s best and worst performers against Southampton

Kevin De Bruyne was the standout for the Etihad side. Despite the fact he is leaving in the summer, the Belgian still showed his class, making four key passes, delivering 18 crosses and winning four of his six total duels.

Phil Foden showed signs of life after a torrid time recently, registering two shots while completing 95% of his passes.

Elsewhere, Manuel Akanji won just one of his three ground duels and lost possession eight times, while Erling Haaland failed to even register a single shot on target throughout the game.

City’s worst performer was arguably James McAtee. Might it be time for Guardiola to act upon his interest in Morgan Gibbs-White?

James McAtee’s game in numbers against Southampton

Playing off the right wing, the Englishman may have completed 100% of his passes, but his overall display was poor enough to be subbed off at halftime.

He delivered just one accurate cross from three attempts, won just a single duel and failed to register a shot – on or off target – during his spell on the pitch for City.

McAtee only took as many touches as Haaland – with both men registering just 17 apiece – and was given a match rating of just 6/10 by the Manchester Evening News.

Is he really the man to take the club to the next level when De Bruyne leaves in a few weeks?

Gibbs-White has been a player of interest for quite some time and perhaps now is the perfect chance to test Nottingham Forest’s resolve.

As per Fabrizio Romano earlier this month, the Forest attacking midfielder remains one of City’s “priority targets” heading into the summer transfer window.

Throughout the current season, he has registered 14 goal contributions – five goals and nine assists – while also creating eight big chances, averaging 1.6 key passes and succeeding with one dribble per game in the top flight.

In comparison, McAtee has notched up just seven goal contributions this term for City. Furthermore, the 22-year-old has created only two big chances, averageing 0.2 key passes and succeeding with just 0.1 dribbles in the Premier League.

Judging by these statistics across several attacking metrics, there is one clear winner. Gibbs-White might cost the club a significant outlay, but he looks to be a player who can potentially take City back to winning the Premier League or Champions League.

McAtee, on the other hand, might find himself out of the door by the time next season comes around.

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