'Enzo Maresca's idea' - Marc Guehi breaks silence on shock midfield role after Manchester City comeback

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca produced a surprising tactical adjustment, with England centre-back Guehi deployed as a holding midfielder. During the warm-up, Guehi appeared to be training with the back four, but when referee Jarred Gillett blew the whistle to start the game, it became clear that Maresca had a different plan in mind.

Maresca pushed Guehi forward into a central midfield role to disrupt Bournemouth's shape and help City control the tempo. The unexpected move provided greater balance in the middle of the pitch and helped the home side regain control as they mounted their comeback.

Guehi explained how the tactical adjustment came about after the final whistle, telling Sky Sports: "It was just an idea the manager had, we worked on it in the week. We're trying different things, trying different solutions for the team. I'm glad today it paid off in the end."

While Manchester City exerted intense pressure on Bournemouth's defensive block during the closing stages, Guehi's composure on the ball and defensive awareness allowed the attacking players to push further forward, eventually contributing to the late goals that secured all three points.

The victory highlighted both Maresca's tactical flexibility and Guehi's versatility, with the England international offering genuine tactical value beyond his traditional centre-back role. His numbers underlined his impressive performance, as he won all three of his tackles - more than any other player on the pitch - while completing 94.9% of his 59 passes and winning eight of his 11 duels.

Asked about his surprise positional switch, Guehi told the BBC: "I enjoyed it simply because I got so much help from so many people. When you have that, you feel comfortable to just go out and play and do what you can for the team." And when asked where he expects to play next week, Guehi joked: "Who knows? Maybe up front. We'll see."

Maresca praised Guehi's performance in midfield, revealing that he had always believed the England international was capable of playing in the position. "Guehi has never played as a midfielder, today he was very good, so I am happy with the effort from the players," Maresca told BBC Match of the Day. "Sometimes you visualise things. I know Marc from Palace and I always thought he could play as a midfielder because he is very good. So we tried it for a few days and I think he was quite good."

The City boss also admitted the experiment could provide a solution in midfield, although the club's imminent signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille is expected to address the position. The 18-year-old midfielder is set to join City for a reported £86m and could eventually partner Elliot Anderson in the heart of midfield.

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart believes Guehi's midfield role was an interesting experiment but is unlikely to become a long-term solution, particularly with Bouaddi set to arrive. "Anderson and Guehi is an interesting one in midfield but that won't be a long-term thing, especially with Bouaddi coming in," Hart said.

He added that Maresca is still trying different combinations as City undergo a major rebuild, but stressed that despite the changes, the club remain under pressure to deliver results.