Learning on the job
Elliot Anderson has opened up on the tactical shift Enzo Maresca is demanding of him, admitting the summer move to City has brought a different set of responsibilities.
The 23-year-old, who arrived from Nottingham Forest, says the manager is asking for a more structured game than the one he played at the City Ground, where freedom was the order of the day.
“I've got to be a little more structured. That's what I'm learning. It is what it is. Trying to learn on the job.”
It is a work in progress, but the early signs are encouraging. Anderson was again impressive on Friday night as City ran out 4-1 winners at Selhurst Park, a result that followed a nervier home debut at the Etihad.
“I'm loving it,” he told the club's official website. “It's a little bit different, so I'm trying to grasp the little differences so I can settle in well.”
Against Palace, he said he felt “more at home”, a telling admission from a player still finding his feet in a new system.
Erling Haaland, for one, has taken notice. The striker described Anderson as “incredible” after the victory, a stamp of approval that will not have hurt the new boy's confidence.
There is a wider point here, too. Anderson talks about an era ending and a new one starting, and the numbers back him up: the average age of the side in the last game was 25.
“Eras come to an end, and a new one is starting,” he said. “The last game the average age was 25, so it's a young squad and it is exciting.”
Structured he may be, but the excitement is clearly not in short supply.