Why the Time Has Come for Manchester City to Find Alternatives to Jesus Navas

At the beginning of the season, Jesus Navas was becoming a target for disgruntled Manchester City fans who felt he lacked the quality needed to be a first-team regular.

Their expectations have increased in recent years, and a FIFA World Cup-winning winger is no longer a guaranteed starter and is certainly not guaranteed to impress the fans. They want the very best and are desperate to compete with Europe’s elite, and Navas, they felt, was indicative of their shortcomings.

Fast-forward a few months and there are far fewer audible complaints. Navas, although far from perfect, has shown over the course of the season he is worth his place in the City squad, with his pace down the right and his defensive work rate enough to win round many of the dissenters.

So many of his team-mates have fallen below the standard expected this season, leaving Navas as one of the few players to excel.

He is a genuinely different option from the vast majority of City’s other attacking players. Whereas the likes of David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Samir Nasri and Kelechi Iheanacho are focused on intricate passing and flexible positioning, Navas is all about directness.

He runs in straight lines, sticks out wide and tries to beat players on the outside. He may not be the finest exponent of wing play, but he’s the only one in the City squad who brings genuine width.

It means he provides a different option, which is why Manuel Pellegrini invariably has found a way of getting him on the pitch, either as a starter or an impact sub.

A mix of styles is important. Predictability can kill a side. Just ask Roberto Mancini, whose final year at City was undermined by the lack of a Plan B.

However, there are clear limitations to Navas’ game. His small, lightweight frame means he lacks a physical presence at times, even if his hard work makes up for much of his shortfall.

He can often be somewhat two-dimensional, with the same run-down-the-outside-and-check-back routine frustrating to many. And his deliveries are too often misplaced, although, with City playing without a target man and bereft of players who make a run to the near post, he has a difficult task finding a …

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