After being on the verge of leaving Manchester City for Stoke City in the summer, before a late change of mind, Fabian Delph will now feel a palpable sense of satisfaction surrounding his decision to stay put and prove his worth to Pep Guardiola.
While his opportunity arose in the wake of Benjamin Mendy's frustrating ACL injury against Crystal Palace, Delph deserves immense credit for the way he's stepped up and made the most of his chance at left back.
While he put in accomplished outings in his new role vs. West Bromwich Albion and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, his exceptional showing in his team's colossal league win over Chelsea was his best yet. In what was his first Premier League start since April for the Sky Blues, his contribution to the victory was a huge factor in Guardiola's team's statement 1-0 triumph.
The Spanish manager's deployment of the Englishman, that essentially saw him regularly act as an auxiliary central midfielder, suited him perfectly, allowing him to operate in zones of the pitch that are very familiar to him.
In this false full back slot, Delph duly shone, with his positioning crucial in City being able to dominate possession. By operating in the left half space within City's build up phases, he ensured the Citizens had an important extra outlet to bypass Chelsea's first defensive line of Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata. Moreover, by situating himself here, he subsequently had space ahead of him to dribble forward and draw Chelsea's nearest midfielder, N'Golo Kante, out of slot, thus creating space for the likes of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne to exploit.
His running power was also put to good use, where he would surge forward and receive quick lay-offs from his attackers, something that also successfully disrupted the Chelsea stopping structure by giving him a dynamic advantage over his usually stationary markers.
Another essential element of his display came in scenarios when he'd form triangles and diamonds on the left with the likes of Leroy Sane, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus to create a numerical and positional superiority to bypass Chelsea's wide defensive strategy.
On the defensive end, meanwhile, the former Aston Villa star showed plenty of promise as he patrolled his designated area of operation with dedication. Whether by tracking the runs of Cesar Azpilicueta, monitoring Kante's well timed surges or chiming in with some tidy interventions, Delph illustrated he's certainly not a liability in this regard.
His manager was evidently delighted with the 27-year-old's all-round performance, announcing: "It is not easy (the role he was asked to play). You have to go to Azpilicueta, you have to defend your back close to Nico [Otamendi], you have to look down the line. But even with our process to build up, as a midfield player, the way he receives the ball, he did not lose one ball. He knows when to play in front, back and to the side."
Although it would appear unlikely that the Delph at left back experiment will last for an extended period, it's undoubtedly been encouragingly how well he's filled the void left by Mendy's injury. Interestingly, Delph recently noted how he's actually not entirely unfamiliar being utilised in this capacity. “I've played left back before, not many times, under Gerard Houllier when I was a young kid of 20 or 21,” said Delph.
“If I can help the team I am happy. I am a team player – if we win I go home happy. All the players know the system of how the manager wants us to play. I have played left-back in training, and at Aston Villa, and as a young guy coming through at Leeds. I'm not a left-back but I feel can do a job there, but there are others in the team who can do a job at left-back as well."
Upon reflecting back on making the tough choice to stay and fight for his place at City, he'll definitely feel safe in the knowledge now that he made the right call.
