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‘Enzo Maresca’s idea’ - Marc Guehi has spoken about his unexpected switch into midfield during Manchester City’s dramatic 2-1 win over Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. The England defender played a key role in changing the flow of the Premier League match after moving into a central holding position.

Maresca’s tactical masterstroke

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca came up with a bold tactical tweak, using England centre-back Guehi as a holding midfielder. In the warm-up, Guehi seemed to be working with the back four, but once referee Jarred Gillett started the game, it became obvious that Maresca had something else planned.

Maresca moved Guehi into central midfield to unsettle Bournemouth’s structure and help City dictate the rhythm of the contest. The unexpected adjustment gave the home side more balance in the middle of the park and helped them take control again as they fought back.

Explaining how the change happened, Guehi told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “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.”

Guehi enjoys new role

As Manchester City piled heavy pressure on Bournemouth’s defence in the closing stages, Guehi’s calmness in possession and defensive understanding allowed the attacking players to push higher up the pitch, eventually helping create the late goals that earned all three points.

The win underlined both Maresca’s tactical adaptability and Guehi’s versatility, with the England international showing he can offer real value beyond his usual centre-back role. His statistics reflected an outstanding display, as he won all three of his tackles - more than any other player on the pitch - completed 94.9% of his 59 passes, and won eight of his 11 duels.

When asked about the surprise positional change, 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 expected to play next week, Guehi joked: “Who knows? Maybe up front. We’ll see.”

Maresca gets ready for Bouaddi arrival

Maresca also praised Guehi’s display in midfield and said he had long felt the England international could operate there. “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 manager also admitted the experiment may offer a midfield solution, although the club’s expected signing of Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille should strengthen that area. The 18-year-old midfielder is set to join City in a reported £86m move and could eventually form a partnership with Elliot Anderson in central midfield.

Hart backs City’s rebuild

Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart said Guehi’s midfield role was an interesting trial, but he does not see it becoming a long-term answer, especially with Bouaddi on his way. “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 testing different combinations while City go through a major rebuild, but emphasised that despite the changes, the club are still expected to produce results.