After months and months of speculation, Manchester City finally completed the £51 million signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund earlier this week.
His arrival ends City’s stint without a recognised striker, with Pep Guardiola having been forced to experiment with a false nine system after opting to play Gabriel Jesus on the wing. Due to the incredible quality of numerous operators in that role, City have continued their Premier League dominance.
Considering this highly-competitive league also contains a front-three consisting of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Luis Diaz, it’s a testament to Guardiola’s genius that City are still top of the charts.
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Of course, some may argue City have still been using an unofficial striker, but there’s no doubting the arrival of Haaland will improve their chances in front of goal significantly. In the Bundesliga, the 21-year-old has been operating at almost a goal per game and will add the clinical edge lost with the departure of Sergio Agüero.
However, there is another trait that will excite Guardiola – Haaland’s creativity.
It was well documented that the club were desperate to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, but Daniel Levy held firm and insisted his star man was not for sale. His incredible goalscoring pedigree was City’s number one desire, but Guardiola would have certainly highlighted his role in the build-up play.
One reason why he and Son Heung-min have formed such a lethal partnership is the England captain’s ability to receive the ball deep, turn and fire an inch-perfect pass through to the onrushing winger.
If City fans cast their minds back to last season’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final, Haaland produced a similar moment at the Etihad to create Borussia Dortmund’s opening goal. After being frustrated by Ruben Dias and John Stones all evening, the striker dropped to the edge of the box and played a neat one-two with Marco Reus to allow the German to slot past Ederson.
The Norwegian only has 23 career assists, but his role is often much greater than the final pass. Despite his goalscoring instincts, Haaland can not just stand in the box and wait for the service in a team managed by Guardiola, he will have to come and get involved in the play himself – something he has shown he’s more than capable of doing.
With a full summer of rest and no risk of him picking up an injury at the World Cup, both player and manager will be delighted to get started and continue the clinical striker’s rapid development.
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