A Manchester City winger is far from the finished product | OneFootball

Oscar Bobb has started each of the past two games for Manchester City. He started on the right wing against Aston Villa and Swansea. Unfortunately for Bobb, his performances weren’t the best in either of those matches. His recent form isn’t a cause for concern; it is a reminder that Bobb remains a young player who is continuing to grow and develop rather than being the finished product as a player.

Oscar Bobb needs time to develop to become a key player for Manchester City.

At his best, Oscar Bobb can be a game breaker for Manchester City. This was on display during the first half of Manchester City’s 1-nil win over Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium at the beginning of October. On that particular day, especially in the first half, Bobb linked up superbly well with his teammates, and he routinely caused the Brentford defence all sorts of issues. His dribbling and ability to beat a man and get into dangerous positions in the final third helped City dominate the first half of that particular match. Unfortunately, Oscar Bobb’s recent displays haven’t matched his first half performance during City’s win over Brentford.

Against Aston Villa last weekend, Bobb couldn’t get into the game. Manchester City struggled in the first half of their 1-nil defeat to Unai Emery’s side last weekend. Bobb spent the majority of his time on the pitch against Villa on the periphery of the match. When he did get on the ball, he was either dispossessed by the Villa defence or he couldn’t provide any attacking threat. He was replaced on the hour-mark of that particular match. Unfortunately Bobb followed up that performance by not being at his best against Swansea. He got on the ball enough over the full 90 minutes but again it wasn’t his day.

What the last two starts for Oscar Bobb show is that he isn’t the finished product as a player. He is still growing and learning what it takes to be a consistent performer at a team with the stature of Manchester City. There’s no shame in that, that’s just the reality of Oscar Bobb as a player right now.

Pep Guardiola believes that once Oscar Bobb has the necessary belief in his ability he’ll thrive.

During his pre-game press conference on Friday ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola spoke on what Oscar Bobb needs to do to take the next step as a player. The City manager said once Bobb believes in his ability, he’ll take the next step as a player. Guardiola explained: “He started really well playing the first two, three games and after he didn’t play because I rotated the team. But he has to believe; the moment he believes in himself how good he is, he will make the next step in his career as a football player.”

Oscar Bobb has shown signs so far this season that he will become an important player for Manchester City. At the same time, he’s also shown that he’s a young player who needs time to develop the consistency and belief that is required to be a first-team player at City. That is the reality of Oscar Bobb as a player, and it isn’t a surprise especially after he missed almost all of last season due to injury.