4 Manchester City players who could be reinvented under Guardiola

Pep Guardiola isn't shy about deploying his ranks out of their natural positions, but then, much to the surprise of his doubters, reinventing their careers.

His work with Lionel Messi is undoubtedly his greatest success story. The diminutive Argentinian emerged at the Camp Nou as a floppy-haired youngster with dazzling footwork, but one that predominantly hugged the flank.

It was at this point when Guardiola sensibly moved Messi around in his Barcelona tactical setup to match up against the supposed weaknesses of the opposition. Messi cropped up in each point of the forward triumvirate, but to most devastating effect as a false nine. The position grew in popularity across the continent, but none filled it better than Messi.

Dropping a defensive midfielder into the backline isn't exactly revolutionary - Guardiola's inherited Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany followed that route under Roberto Mancini - but the Spaniard's revision of Javier Mascherano improved him as player too, and ensured the fading and subsequent retirement of Barca stalwart Carles Puyol wasn't damaging.

The trend continued at Bayern Munich. The usage of Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba at centre-back is still a point of contention in Bavaria, but there's no doubting the inspired decision to utilise Philipp Lahm's composure and positional sense in the middle of the park, rather than at full-back.

In Manchester, the reinventing of players is almost certain to continue. Here are the players and positions that could surprise supporters and neutrals alike in 2016-17:

Deploying Silva deeper

Pep's use of David Silva will be inextricably tied to that of fellow midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

The contrast in De Bruyne's efficiency at Euro 2016 when deployed behind the frontman as opposed to on the right-hand side was clear to see. While still able to display his characteristic endeavour when shunted out wide, his ability to influence the match was suppressed nonetheless. In the middle, his stunning array of passing and pinging shot is at its most threatening. Marc Wilmots couldn't get his head around this fact, and it ultimately contributed to his loss of the Belgium job.

This team should be built around the 25-year-old De Bruyne, but it shouldn't come at a cost to Silva, who should assume a central role in Guardiola's XI. The Spaniard could be positioned deeper in the midfield, in a similar vein to compatriot Santi Cazorla at Arsenal, where his creativity can be used to quickly curate counter-attacks.

It would make the most of Silva's increased nastiness in the challenge over the past three seasons. Only Fernandinho, Pablo Zabaleta, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernando attempted more tackles per game than the Valencia product in 2015-16, but Guardiola would want improvements in the Canarian's attempts to intercept opponents' passes.

Fernandinho in the back four

Guardiola's love of a defender comfortable in possession is well-documented. This is why Kimmich and Alaba were handed centre-back duties, and why Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci is one of his "favourite ever players".

Fernandinho has provided cover in the back four when City has been short late in matches, and is one of the more reliable performers in Eastlands - as demonstrated in the Brazilian's nomination among De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero as the 2015-16 Player of the Year. That energy could be valuable in defence, particularly as he begins his inevitable physical decline at the age of 31.

No member of Manuel Pellegrini's squad put in as many tackles as Fernandinho last season, and you could argue he has better positional sense than Otamendi - and certainly better that of the wobbly Eliaquim Mangala.

Experimenting at left-back

There are reports that teenager Angelino could be given a chance in the first team if the defensively clueless Aleksandar Kolarov shacks up somewhere else, but if the youngster isn't up to scratch there could be options from elsewhere in the roster.

If there is pressure from the hierarchy to retain Mangala - to give the Frenchman one last opportunity to justify his whopping £42-million fee - a run out at left-back could be a recourse in clouding his ineptitude in holding a defensive line and retaining concentration. He's a natural on that foot, is relatively pacey and could provide an adept - if unadventurous - alternative at full-back.

A more fruitful choice, however, could be Fabian Delph. When not sidelined last season, the Yorkshireman showcased his versatility, surprising turn of pace and indefatigable play. His attributes are all transferable on the left-side of a back four, and his tirelessness could work well in mopping up behind the spilly runs of Raheem Sterling.