Last time out, Aston Villa missed a crucial opportunity to break into the top half of the Premier League table. A decent performance against the foxes was marred by some individual errors, but there were positives to take.
Next up, an entirely different animal. A Manchester City side fresh off a defeat and a turbulence brewing off-field. I spoke to Noisy Neighbours to find out more about Manchester City’s season so far.
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There has been lots of debate recently surrounding the impact that Erling Haaland has on this City side. 25 goals in 20 appearances suggest that Haaland has been fantastic but are City a better side without him?
“No. City are most definitely a better side with Haaland. Our “struggles” this season are down to complacency and generally out of form players and coaches. A lack of cutting edge from those who would feed Haaland is the main issue that needs sorting. Guardiola has perhaps tinkered too much trying to find that solution”.
Manchester City have lost 3 of their last six games which resembles one of their poorest runs of forms in recent memory. Has Guardiola’s tactics been found out, or is this just a minor blip?
“It’s not that Guardiola’s tactics have been found out, more that other team’s tactics have evolved and he is trying to find a new solution. Teams are packing the middle of the park and again, City can’t find the cutting edge to play through it. They have been reluctant to play more direct to Haaland, as Pep values possession obviously.”
While De Bruyne is probably one of the most crucial players to Pep’s style of play, the whole team has to play a role. Who is one of your most underrated players this season?
“City fans will rate his season so far, but the one that maybe underrated by opposition fans is Nathan Ake. A player who nearly left the club this summer (according to reports) has been a rock at both CB and LB this year. He’s currently keeping Laporte out of the side and perhaps influenced Pep’s decision to let Cancelo leave for Germany”.
Finally what’s your score prediction?
“In light of recent news we are hoping for a siege mentality to emerge in the City camp. Perhaps that could offset the complacency we’re fighting through this season. We’ll predict 3-2 to Man City thanks to a Jack Grealish hat trick! Best of luck to the Villains”.
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OPPOSITION FOCUS | ARE HAALAND AND CITY COMPATIBLE?
Last time out, Manchester City fell to their third defeat in six matches with a narrow defeat to Spurs. As a result of this, there has been a rise in questions asked about the Premier League champions.
One of the questions that I was most intrigued by was coined by Jamie Carragher. The former centre back asked whether Erling Haaland made the right choice in signing for Manchester City.
On the surface, Haaland has had a spectacular start to life in a Manchester City shirt. 31 goals in 28 appearances suggests that Haaland has wasted little time in settling down. In fact, it was such a good start to the season that Preston North End were being outscored by the Norwegians! It looked as though the striker role that Manchester City had struggled to fill after Aguero had finally been filled.
Haaland wasn’t just restricted to scoring a lot of goals, though. He has also set up three goals for his City teammates, showing a slightly more rounded side to his game. Haaland pretty much instantly settled down at City, forged a relationship with his teammates, and took the Premier League by storm. So, how can it be questioned whether someone with 34 goal involvements in 28 games has made the right transfer?
Well, when you look slightly deeper at the transfer, the problems begin to arise. For example, Manchester City have dominated the Premier League in recent seasons by embracing possession-based football. This has been Guardiola’s style of play since the start of his managerial career, and it works. Guardiola’s extensive trophy cabinet, including nine trophies with City, proves that.
On the other hand, when you look at how Haaland has played under RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, it’s a different story. Haaland thrives off counter attacking football and exploiting defences with his pace and clinicalness. This means that Pep Guardiola has had to tinker with his style of play in order to accommodate Haaland. This has resulted in Manchester City becoming a lot easier to score against.
But this isn’t a big deal, is it? Surely if Haaland is scoring more goals for City, they can afford to let a few in at his expense. Well, Haaland hasn’t scored that many more goals in comparison to how many City scored at this stage last season. The only difference is that Manchester City are now relying on specific players instead of a wider range of players.
Overall, it is clear that Erling Haaland is an incredibly good player. It is also clear that Manchester City are a very good football team. When you combine these two things, it is very unlikely to go wrong. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that the move was perfect. I believe Manchester City’s dip in form has highlighted the issues that Haaland causes in this team. Still, I wouldn’t say no to him at the Villa!
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MY PREDICTION
It has been a very turbulent few weeks for Manchester City recently. From cup exits, to player fallouts (Cancelo) to literally hundreds of FFP rule breaks topped with a loss to Spurs last time out. Having said that, the last four times Manchester City have lost in the league, they have gone on to win their next match quite convincingly. While my heart is optimistic for a draw or maybe a win, my head is telling me that Manchester City are a different animal. For that reason, I’m going for a 2-1 Manchester City win.
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AUTHOR | ELLIS BURNETT
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