“I was all over the place” – Nathan Ake reflects on Manchester City injury struggles and Pep Guardiola influence

Manchester City and Netherlands defender Nathan Ake has looked back at how injuries marred his first season at the Etihad Stadium.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a stellar season for the Premier League champions, having amassed 32 appearances across all competitions for City this term, five more than he managed last season.

After joining City from Bournemouth for £41 million in 2020, Ake struggled for regular minutes over the course of his first season in the north-west despite making an impressive start to life in sky blue.

Hamstring injuries took a toll on the Dutchman, who fell down the pecking order at centre-back and was largely used as a squad player for the rest of the 2020/21 season by Pep Guardiola.

“I wasn’t in the team as much. I remember looking back at that first year (at City) and asking myself, ‘Why did that happen?’ I think because of the injuries and because I wasn’t playing much anymore, I lost some of my confidence and self-belief,” Ake said in an interview with SPORTbible.

John Stones and Ruben Dias formed the bedrock of Manchester City’s league charge and run to their maiden Champions League final that season, with Ake often left on the bench by Guardiola towards the business end of the campaign.

The City defender added: “I asked myself at the time, ‘Should I even be in this team anymore? Am I pushing enough to be playing?’

“Then when you eventually get over those injuries, you are also thinking that you have so much to prove. As a result, you’re doing stuff you normally never do.

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“You play with a weird kind of mentality of, ‘Oh, I need to do this. Otherwise, I’m not playing the next game’. You start to overthink and overdo things. I just didn’t feel like myself.”

However, Ake’s versatility, willingness to learn and patience in regards to a call up from Guardiola has earned the former Bournemouth man praise from the Catalan this season.

“It wasn’t because of the manager (Guardiola). I think he’s always been so clear about what exactly he wants from me,” Ake added.

“He (Guardiola) sat down at the start of the first season a few times and explained what he expects from me, both with and without the ball. That was actually quite clear but I think in the end it was self belief after all of those injuries.”

Ake’s standout performances across the backline have not gone unnoticed this season either, with many hailing the four-time Premier League winner as one of the best centre-halves in the division.

Humble as ever however, the Manchester City star is keeping his head down and cracking on with his business, accepting that he needs to keep learning and improving to realise his maximum potential after a strong 2022/23 campaign so far.

Addressing claims he is the best defender in England, Ake said: “If people think that then thank you, but I don’t agree. I think there’s many, many top defenders who have been doing it for so many years.

“No, I don’t agree with that. But I am in a good rhythm. The only thing I can do is to keep improving and to hopefully remain at this level.”