Can Haaland rediscover his goalscoring instinct without De Bruyne’s help?
By Filip Mishov
Even though the Cityzens snatched a last-gasp win (1-2) at Molineux through John Stones‘ clinical header over the weekend, Pep Guardiola surely is not too happy with his squad’s overall performance and especially the offensive line as the defenders stole the goalscoring show. Additionally, Erling Haaland was isolated in attack, barely touching the ball, and extended his personal goalscoring drought to a couple of matches.
Something which speaks volumes about Kevin De Bruyne‘s importance and the flamboyant Belgian is back in training ahead of Sparta Prague’s visit to Etihad, although it is difficult to see him go straight into the starting XI given his recent injury record.
With Sparta, the reigning Czech champions coming to Manchester as complete strangers but boasting an identical European record (1W, 1D) in the Champions League this season as the hosts, City might need a creative spark in this, the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. And for Pep, actions speak louder than words, and Jérémy Doku and Savinho‘s unconvincing performances might sprung the Spaniard into making changes with Jack Grealish and Phil Foden coming into the side.
Unlike the Blues’ forwards as of late, their versatile centre-backs are flourishing on both sides of the pitch as Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, and John Stones all registered a shot on target against Wolverhampton Wanderers and furthermore, Manchester City’s defence has yet to concede a goal in Europe, being one of only six clubs to keep consecutive clean sheets. The Croatian defender, Gvardiol is at the heart of everything City do, both defensively as well as offensively and the ever-improving 22-year-old scored another scorcher from distance with his weaker foot at Molineux.
On the other side, the Iron Sparta(ns) are travelling to England on the back off a 1. Liga win after the international break, sitting in second place in the standings, just like Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Lars Friis-led squad upset the odds in Europe as they recorded a home win (3-0) against Salzburg and a respectable away draw (1-1) against VfB Stuttgart in the opening two rounds of the Champions League. Kaan Kairinen is one Sparta’s main trump cards and the Finish midfielder is their top goalscorer in the Champions League with two goals scored.
Obviously, Manchester City’s undefeated start this season is more likely to be extended than cut short, but Pep Guardiola is fully aware that the Cityzens’ performances must improve and Sparta Prague have already shown resilience to secure positive results on the European stage. Lastly, don’t be surprised if the loud Czechs outsing the home supporters at Etihad as the visitors enjoy passionate support from the stands as their loyal fans follow their team everywhere.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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