Laporte return a welcome reprieve for leaky Manchester City

12 minutes in at Bramall Lane and Manchester City hearts were in throats. Muhamed Besic, making just his second Premier League start of the season, went straight through Aymeric Laporte and received a booking for his efforts. Laporte was including in the City starting XI for the first time since a 4-0 win over Brighton at the end of August. 

The 25-year-old lasted just 37 minutes in the home triumph before being stretchered off following a collision with Seagulls centre-back Adam Webster with a knee problem. On Tuesday night, though, he was welcomed back to the side, and not a moment too soon as far as City are concerned. The defending champions will have breathed a huge sigh of relief as he walked away from Besic's challenge unscathed. 

Having endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines, it wasn't a huge surprise that the centre-back was withdrawn from action with 12 minutes of normal time to play as the club manages his return accordingly. Nevertheless, Laporte's availability is a welcome reprieve for City as they look to improve their defensive resolve ahead of the Champions League's return next month. 

The Premier League is a foregone conclusion for City given the points gulf between themselves and Liverpool, and much of that has been due to their poor backline. That being said, this is an issue of City's making. When Vincent Kompany announced he was leaving for former side Anderlecht back in May, it gave the club all summer to secure a new centre-back to partner Laporte. 

Nicolas Otamendi may have enjoyed a renaissance season in 2016/17, yet lacks the consistency to establish himself as a leader at the back, while John Stones had the potential to really develop under Pep Guardiola, only for his concentration to come into question time and time again. Pet project Fernandinho may have been a solid option for Guardiola, particularly in the wake of Rodri's arrival, but not had the desired effect as a long-term centre-back option. 

And while Laporte's return isn't the answer to City's issues, his availability makes them an all-round more solid side. Only Liverpool (22) shipped fewer goals than City (23) in the Premier League last season at a rate of 0.61 per game. 24 games into the current campaign, and City have conceded 27 times, at a rate of 1.13 per game, with that number expected to rise over the next 14 matches, even with Laporte's return. 

For all of City's attacking riches, they are still shaky at the back and it's means all three statistically calculated weaknesses are defensive based, including 'protecting the lead' and 'stopping opponents from creating chances'. They'll be better in the defensive third now Laporte is back available for selection, yet he'll still take time to get fully up to speed after such a lengthy layoff. 

If anything, Laporte's absence brought to light just how badly City need a top class centre-back to partner the former Athletic Club ace at the heart of the defence. "We missed him a lot - in terms of the fast pace, headers, build-up, he is an exceptional player," Guardiola said of Laporte after the 1-0 win at Sheffield United and the team just looks far more comfortable with the defender in the side. 

While it remains to be seen whether Laporte will feature in the FA Cup clash against Fulham this weekend, City now face a tough run of matches between now and the beginning of April, which includes two Manchester Derby's, trips to Tottenham and Chelsea, a Champions League double header with Real Madrid, a possible Carabao Cup final and culminating in the welcome of champions-elect Liverpool. 

Guardiola, therefore, needs his prized centre-back fully fit and firing on all cylinders in City's push for both domestic and continental glory. A solid performance in Yorkshire on Tuesday night, then, was the perfect acid test for Laporte and he passed with flying colours. For City's sake, they'll be hoping it's the beginning of a sustained injury-free run between now and the end of the season.