Manchester City Aim for Premier League Summit at Selhurst Park
Manchester City head to Selhurst Park tonight with a familiar prize dangling in front of them: top spot in the Premier League, even at this early stage. Two wins from two would send Enzo Maresca’s new-look side to the summit and add a little extra weight to their title credentials before the season has even settled.
They arrive with momentum, but not complete conviction. City needed a late surge to turn Bournemouth over at the Etihad on the opening weekend, a comeback that underlined their attacking depth but also exposed a team still feeling its way under a new manager and amid a summer rebuild.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, may have opened with a defeat at Everton, yet Selhurst Park rarely rolls out the red carpet for visiting heavyweights. Under the lights, with the home crowd in full voice, the Eagles tend to turn awkward. City know this trip is no formality.
Maresca weighs up defensive reshuffle
One area Maresca cannot ignore is his back line. City looked vulnerable against Bournemouth, and the manager appears ready to recalibrate.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will keep his place in goal, but the defence in front of him is likely to be reshaped. The experiment with Marc Guehi away from his natural role could be shelved, with the England international expected to move back into the centre of defence to steady things up.
Ruben Dias is the man most likely to partner Guehi in what would be a more orthodox pairing. That, in turn, could trigger another switch: Nico O'Reilly, used in an advanced midfield role in the opener, may be pushed back to left back. If that happens, matchwinner Josko Gvardiol could be the unfortunate casualty, dropping out despite his decisive contribution against Bournemouth.
On the opposite flank, Maresca has a different kind of dilemma. Rico Lewis wants to operate in midfield and his defensive issues last weekend did little to strengthen his case at right back. With Matheus Nunes still short of full sharpness — Maresca has already said the Portugal international is “not 100 per cent” — the door opens for Abdukodir Khusanov to come in on the right of the defence.
Midfield craft and a spark at No 10
The picture in midfield looks brighter. Elliot Anderson is fit to start and should bring energy and balance in the middle of the pitch. Alongside him, Mateo Kovacic is pushing to come in from the start after beginning on the bench last time out, offering control and experience next to City’s record signing.
The real jolt of electricity, though, came from Rayan Cherki. Introduced from the bench against Bournemouth, he helped flip the game on its head and dragged City forward when they were running out of ideas. That impact has put him in pole position for the No 10 role at Selhurst Park, where his creativity between the lines could be crucial against a compact Palace setup.
If Cherki starts centrally, Phil Foden is set to continue out wide in Jeremy Doku’s absence. It is not Foden’s preferred berth, but his ability to drift inside and combine with Cherki offers Maresca an intriguing dynamic. On the opposite flank, Antoine Semenyo is expected to provide direct running and width, stretching Palace and giving Erling Haaland room to operate.
And Haaland, as ever, will stand at the tip of it all. One chance can be enough for him. In a tight, hostile away game, that ruthless edge might be what decides whether City merely show promise under Maresca, or plant an early marker at the top of the table.
