Haaland has missed the last 10 matches with a fractured foot, but nine of them have been wins for Manchester City. However, when the season enters the most important stage, Pep Guardiola certainly still needs his two biggest stars.
How did Manchester City “survive”?
The versatility of Manchester City’s squad is a key factor in their continued success. That was once again shown in their 1-0 victory over Tottenham in the FA Cup. Before this match, their record on Spurs’ field was 0 wins, 0 draws and 5 losses, but even more embarrassing was that Manchester City did not score any goals.
More impressively, Manchester City won at Tottenham Stadium without Haaland, and De Bruyne only came on as a substitute. And Pep Guardiola’s secret here is the versatility of Manchester City players. Against Spurs, Phil Foden was placed in central midfield, while Bernardo Silva played right wing midfielder. It was a tried and tested formula during Manchester City’s six-match winning streak before the mid-season break.
But when the match started, Silva played deep when Tottenham had the ball. It was a tactical breakthrough for Pep Guardiola, as Silva’s performance helped his team control the midfield. Against a Tottenham side that also craved possession, the dominance of Manchester City’s midfield was a key factor in their victory.
Phil Foden can also play freely in the center of the field. Playing in a higher position than Bernardo, he showed off his skill and speed. Although Phil Foden’s final finishing was not of his usual high standard, his performance helped the champions press Tottenham. It left Ange Postecoglu’s side confused for 90 minutes and Phil Foden almost assisted the opener before Ake’s goal.
The versatility of the squad is an underrated weapon of Manchester City. There is no fixed role assigned to anyone, but they will all do what is asked of them by Pep Guardiola. Its importance was once again demonstrated in the important victory against Tottenham. Motivation is also an important issue and Pep Guardiola believes how much his players still want to win, despite them winning a series of titles recently and losing many pillars to injury.
Need Haaland and De Bruyne
Manchester City only played four matches in January, but they will return to a two-match-a-week schedule for most of February and the intensity will not decrease after that. If Manchester City perform as expected in the Champions League, they will face another packed schedule in March, when domestically they will face Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Brighton.
It will be a tough schedule and as Pep Guardiola hinted in the comments, the time has come when the season’s title will be won or lost. But Pep Guardiola has two reasons to feel confident: Haaland and De Bruyne are ready.
Few people believe that Manchester City cannot compete without De Bruyne, but this absence will have an impact on any team. Anyone who doubts that should look at Manchester City’s most recent Premier League match against Newcastle.
Manchester City dominated possession and dominated Newcastle for most of the match, but conceded twice on counter-attacks, leaving them behind. After being sent onto the field, De Bruyne equalized with a long-range shot and then created a perfect assist for Oscar Bobb to seal the victory in stoppage time.
The same can be said about another star who will return against Burnley, Erling Haaland. At the most basic level, their presence provides greater squad depth, which will be important given the three-a-day density. Of course, the most important thing will be the ability to make a difference in matches. De Bruyne is one of the most consistent scorers in the league despite being a midfielder, while Haaland is the most fearsome goal-scoring machine in the world.