Tonight may be the ideal night to give a Manchester City youngster his first start | OneFootball

As Manchester City went down to Crystal Palace 1-nil at Wembley, there was a surprise debut made by Claudio Echeverri. It was a surprise to see him named on the bench for the FA Cup final. It was an even bigger surprise to see him make his debut in such a high-stakes game. Echeverri did make an impression during his time on the pitch at Wembley. Based on what he showed against Crystal Palace, perhaps tonight is the ideal time for Echeverri to make his first start for Manchester City against Bournemouth in a crucial Premier League fixture.

Claudio Echeverri could bring life and spark to the play of Manchester City tonight.

Manchester City have failed to score in their past two matches against Southampton and Crystal Palace. Although in both games, they’ve dominated possession, they’ve lacked any cutting edge to their play. Southampton and Crystal Palace have both played with a low defensive block to stifle City’s play. It would be a surprise to see Bournemouth adopt similar tactics tonight. That’s not the strength of Andoni Iraola’s side. That’s where you can see the role that Claudio Echeverri could play tonight.

There should be pockets of space for Manchester City to play in tonight against Bournemouth. Bournemouth are an aggressive side that presses high when out of possession. Those pockets could provide an opportunity for Echeverri to shine. He showed against Crystal Palace that he can find space when there is none. Perhaps playing against an opponent like Andoni Iraola’s side could be the ideal setting for Echeverri to make his first start for Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola was impressed with Claudio Echeverri’s debut.

Speaking during his pre-game press conference ahead of tonight’s match, Pep Guardiola was impressed with Claudio Echeverri’s debut against Crystal Palace. Guardiola added that Manchester City are determined to give Echeverri every opportunity to make it in the Premier League. Speaking on Echeverri Guardiola explained: “Look at Claudio Echeverri, he played good, right?. He had three or four chances, and every time he was around that box, it was a dangerous situation.”

“He has no past, and his mind is clean and has nothing to defend in the past. Maybe in two years it will be different.”

“But when you arrive, you’re keen, and after that, you demand more status from what you’ve done. But [for Claudio] it doesn’t exist.”

“He played good. For him, it’s a gift to play here, he wants to prove he can play in the Premier League.”

“Will he be able to? I don’t know. Will we be here to help him? We will try.”

Tonight could be the ideal setting for Claudio Echeverri to make his first start for Manchester City. He looks to be more than capable of making an impact at the highest level. As one era ends tonight at the Etihad, perhaps another will begin. That what Claudio Echeverri starting his first game for Manchester City could mean and he has the talent and tools to make an impact against Bournemouth.