There is a sense that nobody quite knows whether Manchester City are stronger or weaker than they were last season when they won the treble.
The Sky Blues have lost a number of key assets - Ilkay Gundogan, Riyd Mahrez, Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte have all departed - but Pep Guardiola and his recruitment team have been busy locating top quality replacements.
Matheus Nunes is the latest of those, joining the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku at the Etihad Stadium.
Gundogan's departure and Kevin De Bruyne's long-term injury means there should be plenty of opportunities afforded to the young Portuguese central midfielder. Where he will fit into this star-studded City side is another question, and one that Guardiola needs to answer.
As part of a double pivot
Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez have started all four of Man City's Premier League matches together this season, with the latter often playing just off his Norwegian strike partner as a shadow striker.
That has often led to City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, although Guardiola teams are rarely so rigid or defined, with Alvarez operating in a number ten role. That has left the Sky Blues with two central midfield players, often being Rodri and Kovacic.
Rodri acts as the enforcer, disruptor and tempo-setter, while Kovacic is offered a slightly more advanced role in which he can carry the ball forward and act as a box-to-box midfielder.
Nunes could definitely fill the role that Kovacic currently has in this Guardiola side, boasting a number of similar attributes to the Croatian in terms of his ability to drive the ball up the pitch and retain possession in tight areas.
Potential lineups (when all players are fit):
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (CM) - Alvarez (AM/SS)
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (CM) - De Bruyne (AM)
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (CM) - Foden (AM)
As part of a midfield three
Guardiola is nothing if not flexible and seemingly has a slightly different system for every opponent. One formation he has used readily at the Etihad has been a standard 4-3-3 with Rodri in a holding role and two central midfielders ahead of the Spaniard.
Guardiola used this system in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, a game his side won on penalties, with Rodri, Kovacic and Phil Foden playing as the central three. It remains to be seen whether Guardiola entirely trusts Foden in central midfield, and if he doesn't then Nunes could profit.
Nunes could take the role normally reserved for De Bruyne on the right-hand side of a three, operating in the channel and finding space deep inside the opposition half. The Portuguese midfielder obviously lacks some of the qualities that makes De Bruyne unplayable, but he certainly has enough ability to thrive in that role under Guardiola.
However, Nunes has only provided two goals and two assists since the beginning of last season, while De Bruyne seven goals and 16 assists. There is still a huge gulf in quality between the two midfielders, with Guardiola perhaps preferring the increased attacking threat offered by Foden or Bernardo Silva.
Potential lineups:
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (DM) - Kovacic (CM)
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (DM) - Foden (CM)
Nunes (CM) - Rodri (DM) - Silva (CM)
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Man City could line up with Matheus Nunes.
