It is a concern given Aké is only 1.8m tall, even shorter than Nicolás Otamendi’s 1.83m. – Interceptions tell me how good a player is at reading the game and how aggressive they are when playing. Why Nathan Aké Is One Of The Most Underrated Central-Defenders Out There, Time to buy smart with a change in approach… – All Things Chelsea, Can Chelsea find a defensive partnership as good as Terry/Carvalho in Frank Lampard’s reign as manager. https://www.transfermarkt.de/nathan-ake/profil/spieler/177476 Another point that impressed us is his awareness to drop deep immediately, which provides the offensive depth for ball circulation if needed. It can be a mismatch if Aké is forced to head the ball or compete with the striker in a physical duel. If Ake is deployed alongside a defender like Laporte, then it may not be a major issue. His positioning is horrible for a player his age, with his experience, having played in Italy for so long. At 25, Ake is reaching a prime age in his development as a central defender. City paid £40m this summer to sign Ake from relegated Bournemouth and are heading into the season with him as their only defensive reinforcement despite another centre-back seen as a priority in the transfer window. This suggests he is unlikely to improve City when defending set-pieces and there’s also a chance he could struggle to defend in City’s high line. City were ‘expected’ to land Ake in the next few days after completing a deal for Torres – and the former Chelsea prodigy has linked up at the Etihad. Aerial duels per 90 and aerial % of Premier League centre-backs in 2019/20. Assists 6 Passes 5,580 Passes ... View stats of Manchester City Defender Nathan Aké, including goals scored, assists and appearances, on … Manchester City new signing Nathan Ake is not bothered by suggestions that he is not good enough in the air. How fast he is. His positional ability and talent for leadership are unmatched for a player his age. With Bournemouth relegated, Ake will likely be one of the first players out of the door. But if he is to be seen as legitimate left-sided cover for the former Athletic Bilbao player, then it’s an area of his game that he will need to improve on in the coming seasons. After United beat Bournemouth 5-2 earlier this month at Old Trafford, footage appeared to show Solskjaer rather cheekily telling Ake: 'We need a left-footed centre-back, keep going.'. For example, this is a risky scenario as Aké is overloaded by two players; sticking to either target will open space for the other one. Only Southampton's Jack Stephens is worse than Ake's 46.6 per cent return. This will be important as well since City are a team looking for instant counter-pressing to dominate games. After sneaking into seventh place […], Benjamin Henrichs rose through the ranks at Bayer Leverkusen with much hype as a future star at right-back. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling could be the isolated winger on the left, using his qualitative superiority to create something down this side. But Ake is known to be an admirer of Guardiola so working with him and the promise of competing for top honours would surely be the ideal scenario for the defender. Aké is not a centre-back who always steps out, but when he does, he seldom commits himself fully. Left-footed centre-backs with Premier League experience can be hard to find.