Premier League Prediction Thread 2023/2024

[KTChampions]

~
 Sacking Ten  Hag won't change anything but rather would even cause more problems for the team cause the new coach might even find it more difficult to work under the glaziers that are only interested in the financial benefits they're getting from the club instead of making investments to help it grow.

No one can know this for sure. Maybe the new coach really won’t be able to change much since Ten Hag has already made mistakes that are difficult to correct - for example, buying Onana is definitely a mistake. For the new coach to be able to fix anything, he must take part in at least one transfer cycle, and given the fact that United has already spent a lot at Ten Hag’s request, new serious acquisitions will have to wait at least until the summer.

[1714889943]

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[1714889943]

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[Frankolala]

Player who injured is definitely will affect the result since the substitute player isn't as good as the main line up, I only talk about the skill while chemistry, strategy etc also give a big effect to other players. Not many teams have a balance main line up and substitute player, I think only Brighton have this, whoever who play, the result will not be different.

Let's see how Brighton faces Manchester City this week at the Etihad Stadium, because currently Manchester City's appearance is starting to look different even though it is still strong enough to win. But if Brighton can beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, this will actually be extraordinary for Brighton because it will continue to create increasingly exciting competition in the Premier League standings table. However, I am also still not sure about Brighton in terms of beating Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

With Manchester City having lost their last two English Premier League matches, many are worried about what they will do against Brighton. 
Brighton are one of the strongest teams in the Premier League but they don't seem to be able to do well against Manchester City in this match. Manchester City are already under a lot of pressure after dropping points in the last two matches so the match against Brighton is very important for them and they will never want to drop points in this match. Another positive for Manchester City is that this match will be played at the Etihad Stadium where Manchester City are favorites against any team. Brighton can lose against Manchester City by a big margin in this match.

That will be a crucial match for Man City post the international break. As fans, we're hoping for a victory. Playing at the Etihad Stadium, Man City should be the favorites and should secure a comfortable win. Anyway good news is that some injured players are expected to be back, giving Pep with an opportunity to choose the best lineup. Brighton is a strong team with the potential to beat anyone. Summing up Man City's recent losses in the English Premier League, they'll likely be highly motivated to get all three points in their home game against Brighton.

Manchester City is still the best in England and I don't that because they were unable to win their last two matches will make it difficult for them to win Brighton. Brighton might be very strong this season but not when they will be facing the defending champion of the league. Manchester City will humble them in that match.

Brighton has surprised people this season with their superb performance and I know that they will also display such performance against Manchester City. If Manchester City relent in pressuring Brighton and take advantage of the game, it is possible that Brighton might become difficult for Manchester City to win.

[Blitzboy]

Maybe this time nothing will be different. Injuries to several players have indeed caused Man City to experience a slight decline, but this is definitely only temporary and when the players recover, Man City will return to their best performance. But if injuries attack other core players again, perhaps Man City won't get many trophies this season.

I'm a bit uncertain about this year. It seems Man City won't secure their treble, and it's highly likely that they'll only bring home the League Cup to the Etihad Stadium. Despite the loss to Arsenal, Man City still remains the favorite to clinch the EPL title this season.

In terms of performance, Man City is still looking strong this season. However, the rumors about Pep Guardiola's interest in Toni Kroos may suggest a desire for midfield stability when coping with injury storms. Toni Kroos boasts excellent passing statistics and significantly influences the team's gameplay.

When the midfield is orchestrated by a top-class midfielder, goal machines like Haaland will undoubtedly find it easier to create scoring opportunities. There's no doubt about the clever attacking setup that Toni Kroos provides.

Pep Guardiola is usually this person who is always right in choosing good players for the club. I don't know how, but Guardiola always seems to have a sharp eye and instinct in choosing players. I don't care who Guardiola chooses because so far his choices have always been good. If the choice is Toni Kroos then I believe it would be the best choice for the club.

The midfielder position is indeed a central position or a position that determines the balance between the attack line and the defense line. So usually the players in this position are players who have stronger stamina and are also players who are good at reading the entire position of their friends on the field. Because their task is quite heavy. They have to help the attack line and also the back line. And so far Man City has good players for that position. But after Gundogan left I think it was a bit of a loss for the team. Even though Man City already has a replacement, when other players are injured then that can be another problem that arises. So this is where second tier players are needed who are just as good as the core players.

I get that Guardiola is hailed for his player choices, but lets be brutally honest here: Toni Kroos and Madrid have been nearly inseparable. His commitment to Madrid and their youth setup is clear, making it hard for me to imagine him leaving, especially just to become a backup in City's already packed midfield. And look, its not about the money or the allure of the Premier League; it's about the time on the pitch! Guardiola might find himself in hot water if Kroos doesn't get the playtime he expects. Do we really want a frustrated Kroos on the sidelines? Think about it

[skarais]

~~~

That will be a crucial match for Man City post the international break. As fans, we're hoping for a victory. Playing at the Etihad Stadium, Man City should be the favorites and should secure a comfortable win. Anyway good news is that some injured players are expected to be back, giving Pep with an opportunity to choose the best lineup. Brighton is a strong team with the potential to beat anyone. Summing up Man City's recent losses in the English Premier League, they'll likely be highly motivated to get all three points in their home game against Brighton.

Of course, it was a crucial match for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has a good chance to stop his team's streak of bad results after two unwanted defeats in the last two matches, the chance of winning is good because Manchester City is playing at home.

Brighton is not a weak team and their goal statistics in the last 8 matches seem to have warned everyone that they are capable of being a threat to any team. Manchester City's defense will have to be very wary of Brighton's players if they don't want to concede, but I believe that Manchester City has no doubts in this match. I don't consider Manchester City to lose points at home, in fact I'm not sure about a draw.

[jeha2015]

So far it also seems that the Glazer family has not fully succeeded in improving the quality of Manchester United's performance, or maybe they only rely on profits from business and not for an achievement. It is very unfortunate indeed when Sheikh Jassim offer is not accepted because of course, with Sheikh Jassim love for Manchester United, of course Sheikh Jassim will be able to make Manchester United better. So yes, with these factors, then I think Manchester United at this time certainly have to accept the fact because in fact, the situation and condition of Manchester United has again become bad and certainly quite worrying.

Man United's business is very profitable, even if they don't win a title, their income is still high, I think for this reason Glazer doesn't want to sell Man United. I think it is very unfortunate what the Glazer family has done to play with Sheikh Jassim. Even though we now know that Man United needs serious changes to be able to rise from adversity.

If it's like this, Glazer won't sell Man United. I am worried that Manchester City will surpass Man United in terms of achievements and I am sure that over time it will surpass Man United's English league trophy, 20 English league titles are easy to surpass for Manchester City.

[RockBell]

Was Ten Hag's decision to dump De Gea and buy Onana the best decision? I don't think so. He has conceded 19 times in 11 matches. Pretty bad stats with fantastic transfer prices. Even Onana also did not only make one mistake resulting in a goal. I don't blame him all, because their defence is not very good either. But it seems that Ten Hag's football philosophy is not entirely running smoothly. Many supporters hope De Gea can return to Man United.

Buying players is luck sometimes and Ten Hags' decision to buy Onana is not the best at all, we all know that Manchester United's defense has defaulted not having a good goalkeeper has finished everything, imagine your goalkeeper of a big club like Manchester United conceding goals in every game shows a lot of dangers to the progress of the club. the numbers are just very bad conceding 19 times is hilarious. but even if the defense is bad the keeper should be able to defend the goal post but it got to the extent Manchester United had a loss net. and the last time is Maguire and now is onana, maguire has even tried this season.

[borovichok]

So far it also seems that the Glazer family has not fully succeeded in improving the quality of Manchester United's performance, or maybe they only rely on profits from business and not for an achievement. It is very unfortunate indeed when Sheikh Jassim offer is not accepted because of course, with Sheikh Jassim love for Manchester United, of course Sheikh Jassim will be able to make Manchester United better. So yes, with these factors, then I think Manchester United at this time certainly have to accept the fact because in fact, the situation and condition of Manchester United has again become bad and certainly quite worrying.

The Glazers family have been incompetent in their actions to elevates the standards of club in all areas, facilities and the team. Supporters protests and cause a riot early last season when the team was recording one of the poorest starts and having poor results in League games. The new bidder, Sheikh Jassim is competent enough to handle matters at Old Trafford and have sets important unfailing promises to the Red Devils, he's open to enchanced the club and also improves their standards of games. He's the man for the job and he will continue to push forward to have good share of the club.

[bitzizzix]

Was Ten Hag's decision to dump De Gea and buy Onana the best decision? I don't think so. He has conceded 19 times in 11 matches. Pretty bad stats with fantastic transfer prices. Even Onana also did not only make one mistake resulting in a goal. I don't blame him all, because their defence is not very good either. But it seems that Ten Hag's football philosophy is not entirely running smoothly. Many supporters hope De Gea can return to Man United.

Buying players is luck sometimes and Ten Hags' decision to buy Onana is not the best at all, we all know that Manchester United's defense has defaulted not having a good goalkeeper has finished everything, imagine your goalkeeper of a big club like Manchester United conceding goals in every game shows a lot of dangers to the progress of the club. the numbers are just very bad conceding 19 times is hilarious. but even if the defense is bad the keeper should be able to defend the goal post but it got to the extent Manchester United had a loss net. and the last time is Maguire and now is onana, maguire has even tried this season.

I hope that Erik ten Hag's purchase of Andre Onana is the best choice and will defend his goal very well, but in reality I think Andre Onana is very bad as a Manchester United goalkeeper and always concedes goals.
And Andre Onana during his time as Manchester United goalkeeper has conceded 12 times in eight matches in the Premier League, and apart from that in two matches in the Champions League he conceded seven times and only kept three clean sheets in all competitions.
And I agree with you, if Manchester United's defense is not good, at least Andre Onana is a hero who should be able to guard his goal very well. But in reality he is not like that and I prefer David de Gea to return to Manchester United.

[Mr.right85]

Was Ten Hag's decision to dump De Gea and buy Onana the best decision? I don't think so. He has conceded 19 times in 11 matches. Pretty bad stats with fantastic transfer prices. Even Onana also did not only make one mistake resulting in a goal. I don't blame him all, because their defence is not very good either. But it seems that Ten Hag's football philosophy is not entirely running smoothly. Many supporters hope De Gea can return to Man United.

Buying players is luck sometimes and Ten Hags' decision to buy Onana is not the best at all, we all know that Manchester United's defense has defaulted not having a good goalkeeper has finished everything, imagine your goalkeeper of a big club like Manchester United conceding goals in every game shows a lot of dangers to the progress of the club. the numbers are just very bad conceding 19 times is hilarious. but even if the defense is bad the keeper should be able to defend the goal post but it got to the extent Manchester United had a loss net. and the last time is Maguire and now is onana, maguire has even tried this season.

I think Ten Hag wanted a Goalkeeper that’s good with his feet, forgetting that the primary assignment of a Goalkeeper is shot saving, and honestly I think has not yet proven he is an upgrade on his predecessor David de Gea. Onana has struggled to convince Manchester United fans that he is the man that the team  can rely on in goal in the years to come.

Honestly I’m think Inter Milan’s defense played a key role in his good goalkeeping record in Italy and last season’s UCL. They provided a good cover to secure the backline and collectively made the team better. Manchester United haven’t provided the defensive security and it’s obvious that the team is suffering defensively.
Onana's struggles certainly haven't helped with Manchester United's difficult start to the season, but collectively Ten Hag's side have been well below their best.

[skarais]

~~~

I hope that Erik ten Hag's purchase of Andre Onana is the best choice and will defend his goal very well, but in reality I think Andre Onana is very bad as a Manchester United goalkeeper and always concedes goals.
And Andre Onana during his time as Manchester United goalkeeper has conceded 12 times in eight matches in the Premier League, and apart from that in two matches in the Champions League he conceded seven times and only kept three clean sheets in all competitions.
And I agree with you, if Manchester United's defense is not good, at least Andre Onana is a hero who should be able to guard his goal very well. But in reality he is not like that and I prefer David de Gea to return to Manchester United.

Give Onana more time to adapt well, he only has 11 games with Manchester United. There are players who immediately fit into their new team and there are those who don't, so let Onana adapt well for his first season and see what he can prove after that.

Ten Hag gives full confidence to Onana to appear in various competitions. Onana's lackluster defense and high self-confidence appeared to cost the team on several occasions, but that is more likely to be changed rather than allowing him to play without the control of his coach. Ten Hag is responsible for his team's performance, so he has to manage everything well.

[rahmad2nd]

Of course, it was a crucial match for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola has a good chance to stop his team's streak of bad results after two unwanted defeats in the last two matches, the chance of winning is good because Manchester City is playing at home.

Brighton is not a weak team and their goal statistics in the last 8 matches seem to have warned everyone that they are capable of being a threat to any team. Manchester City's defense will have to be very wary of Brighton's players if they don't want to concede, but I believe that Manchester City has no doubts in this match. I don't consider Manchester City to lose points at home, in fact I'm not sure about a draw.

In the last meeting between these two teams last season, the match ended with a score of 1-1, at that time Manchester City was held to a draw at Brighton's headquarters. We know very well that Brighton often makes things difficult for the big teams who meet them. However, City is a much tougher team than De Zerbi's squad. Moreover, this match was held at the Etihad, City's headquarters. Apart from that, several players who were injured and suspended due to red cards are ready to return to play with their teammates. Also, Pep will not let his team experience defeat for the umpteenth time. which means, City will target full points to move back to the top of the Premier League standings.
However, after this match, City will play their match in the near future on the third matchday of the Chanpions League group stage against Young Boy in an away match. However, it doesn't matter because City have scored 6 points from the previous two matches. Even without De Bruyne who is suffering from a long injury, they will still play a good game and are targeting victory over Brighton.

On the other hand, in the last 4 matches played by De Zerbi's squad. they did not achieve positive results, two matches with defeats and two with a draw. Uniquely, this team often troubles strong opponents. Even in the previous match, De Zerbi's team was able to hold Liverpool to a draw. If I can be honest, as an Arsenal supporter, I want this match to end in a draw or defeat for City. However, if we talk from a betting perspective and the quality of City's players, they have a high probability of winning even though so far they have not shown their best version of the game.

[puloweh555]

Give Onana more time to adapt well, he only has 11 games with Manchester United. There are players who immediately fit into their new team and there are those who don't, so let Onana adapt well for his first season and see what he can prove after that.

Ten Hag gives full confidence to Onana to appear in various competitions. Onana's lackluster defense and high self-confidence appeared to cost the team on several occasions, but that is more likely to be changed rather than allowing him to play without the control of his coach. Ten Hag is responsible for his team's performance, so he has to manage everything well.

Yes that's right. Don't be quick to judge Onana too badly because he has only played one match with Man United. Because actually he is a good goalkeeper for modern football games like today where goalkeepers must also be able to help build attacks. Man United must give him time to adapt and I think ETH still trusts Onana in the next match.

If I may say so, this type of goalkeeper like Onana is really suitable for Pep Guardiola to handle, this type of goalkeeper is indeed Pep Guardiola's favorite. He is a great goalkeeper, in this era it could be said that this type of goalkeeper is rare, but at the moment Onana is in the wrong place.

[Alpha Marine]

I am worried that Manchester City will surpass Man United in terms of achievements and I am sure that over time it will surpass Man United's English league trophy, 20 English league titles are easy to surpass for Manchester City.

If Pep Guardiola stays in Manchester City for another 20 years they'll surpass Manchester United not just in league titles but also Champions League. Unfortunately, I don't believe Pep would stay that long at Man City. I don't think he'll renew his contract when it expires in 2025.
He has achieved everything there is to achieve in Many City. He has become a Manchester City legend. They'll always remember. In the future, there's no way people will talk about Man City without talking about Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United doesn't look like a very well-run club. They're just surviving on history tasks. They don't know how to sign players. The club is very poorly run.
Although I don't believe the Glazers are totally at fault I believe a new owner will change a lot of things in the club.

[harapan]

Was Ten Hag's decision to dump De Gea and buy Onana the best decision? I don't think so. He has conceded 19 times in 11 matches. Pretty bad stats with fantastic transfer prices. Even Onana also did not only make one mistake resulting in a goal. I don't blame him all, because their defence is not very good either. But it seems that Ten Hag's football philosophy is not entirely running smoothly. Many supporters hope De Gea can return to Man United.

Buying players is luck sometimes and Ten Hags' decision to buy Onana is not the best at all, we all know that Manchester United's defense has defaulted not having a good goalkeeper has finished everything, imagine your goalkeeper of a big club like Manchester United conceding goals in every game shows a lot of dangers to the progress of the club. the numbers are just very bad conceding 19 times is hilarious. but even if the defense is bad the keeper should be able to defend the goal post but it got to the extent Manchester United had a loss net. and the last time is Maguire and now is onana, maguire has even tried this season.

I think Ten Hag wanted a Goalkeeper that’s good with his feet, forgetting that the primary assignment of a Goalkeeper is shot saving, and honestly I think has not yet proven he is an upgrade on his predecessor David de Gea. Onana has struggled to convince Manchester United fans that he is the man that the team  can rely on in goal in the years to come.

Honestly I’m think Inter Milan’s defense played a key role in his good goalkeeping record in Italy and last season’s UCL. They provided a good cover to secure the backline and collectively made the team better. Manchester United haven’t provided the defensive security and it’s obvious that the team is suffering defensively.
Onana's struggles certainly haven't helped with Manchester United's difficult start to the season, but collectively Ten Hag's side have been well below their best.

Onana is perfect for the club still he needs a gallant defenders to work with him, having a strong defence brings out the best in a goalkeeper.
Onana is not the major problem faced by Man United.  The head of the sraffs knows that if Onana doesn't meet up to the way they want him he will be substuted for another player at goal. Onana has worked with the coach for seasons this is not the ned of the journey.  He is good with his legs. Once a good defense is assembled,  goals conceded will be reduced.

[temple]

I am worried that Manchester City will surpass Man United in terms of achievements and I am sure that over time it will surpass Man United's English league trophy, 20 English league titles are easy to surpass for Manchester City.

If Pep Guardiola stays in Manchester City for another 20 years they'll surpass Manchester United not just in league titles but also Champions League. Unfortunately, I don't believe Pep would stay that long at Man City. I don't think he'll renew his contract when it expires in 2025.
He has achieved everything there is to achieve in Many City. He has become a Manchester City legend. They'll always remember. In the future, there's no way people will talk about Man City without talking about Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United doesn't look like a very well-run club. They're just surviving on history tasks. They don't know how to sign players. The club is very poorly run.
Although I don't believe the Glazers are totally at fault I believe a new owner will change a lot of things in the club.

I also don't think that Pep Guardiola will extend his contract again. I already broke with his rule that he never wants to stay at the same club for longer than three years, but I think this time he will bring his time at Manchester City to an end. Or is there a possibility that he wants to break more records? Where would he even go when he leaves Manchester City? He is 52 years old now and when a coach has been with Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, I think there is no meaningful destination left. Unless he would one day be willing to coach Real Madrid, but that is not going to happen for several reasons. The only important destination to him would be the Spanish national team or any national team. So many coaches before him said that they want to retire not too late, but most of them didn't stick to their words because they loved the sport so much and the money became and better for them.

[BITCOIN4X]

~Snip

I also don't think that Pep Guardiola will extend his contract again. I already broke with his rule that he never wants to stay at the same club for longer than three years, but I think this time he will bring his time at Manchester City to an end. Or is there a possibility that he wants to break more records? Where would he even go when he leaves Manchester City? He is 52 years old now and when a coach has been with Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester City, I think there is no meaningful destination left. Unless he would one day be willing to coach Real Madrid, but that is not going to happen for several reasons. The only important destination to him would be the Spanish national team or any national team. So many coaches before him said that they want to retire not too late, but most of them didn't stick to their words because they loved the sport so much and the money became and better for them.

I don't want Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City before he breaks many records. I hope he breaks his own rules by signing a new contract, it's clear to me that's very possible because he works for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola knows where he is and how he can make a lot of history in his coaching career, so I hope he stays at Manchester City and retires there until he is 60 years old.

The England national team certainly hopes that Pep Guardiola will become its coach in the future, that's possible. But for now and the next few seasons, I hope that won't happen. Manchester City is really not ready if Pep Guardiola leaves, I mean there is no other coach who is more suitable for the team than Pep Guardiola right now.

[marcous]

I hope that Erik ten Hag's purchase of Andre Onana is the best choice and will defend his goal very well, but in reality I think Andre Onana is very bad as a Manchester United goalkeeper and always concedes goals.
And Andre Onana during his time as Manchester United goalkeeper has conceded 12 times in eight matches in the Premier League, and apart from that in two matches in the Champions League he conceded seven times and only kept three clean sheets in all competitions.
And I agree with you, if Manchester United's defense is not good, at least Andre Onana is a hero who should be able to guard his goal very well. But in reality he is not like that and I prefer David de Gea to return to Manchester United.

Onana was a good goalkeeper for Inter Milan, while at Man United everything was heading towards failure.

Ten Hag finds himself under great pressure, even though he is quite confident that he will not be fired by United management. As a club that has a fairly large fan base, United has received quite a lot of attention regarding their performance this season, especially players like Onana. It is very unlikely that De Gea will return to Old Trafford, Ten Hag must be able to convince United fans that recruiting Onana is the right step, we know it will take a little time but I think the adaptation process has been quite long.

Ten Hag really has to look to the future and is required to be able to bring his squad to achieve good results in the next matches, his chair could shake again if he fails to get United through the UCL Group phase. Sheffield United, Copenhagen, Man City and Fulham are their next opponents, I find it difficult to predict which matches The Red Devils can win.

[un_rank]

Give Onana more time to adapt well, he only has 11 games with Manchester United. There are players who immediately fit into their new team and there are those who don't, so let Onana adapt well for his first season and see what he can prove after that.

At this level of the game he has had enough time to adapt to the team. Playing between the sticks and as an in-field player are two different things and requires different levels of adaptation. A goalkeeper does not have to adjust to much besides having his team get used to how they play out of the back but he does not have much to adapt in term of shot-stopping.

Raya at Arsenal did not spare anytime to get used to playing, even with his risky play out of the back and has not had much errors while playing.
Different players but Onana needs to get up to speed and not cost the team much points.

- Jay -

[bitzizzix]

Give Onana more time to adapt well, he only has 11 games with Manchester United. There are players who immediately fit into their new team and there are those who don't, so let Onana adapt well for his first season and see what he can prove after that.

Ten Hag gives full confidence to Onana to appear in various competitions. Onana's lackluster defense and high self-confidence appeared to cost the team on several occasions, but that is more likely to be changed rather than allowing him to play without the control of his coach. Ten Hag is responsible for his team's performance, so he has to manage everything well.

Yes that's right. Don't be quick to judge Onana too badly because he has only played one match with Man United. Because actually he is a good goalkeeper for modern football games like today where goalkeepers must also be able to help build attacks. Man United must give him time to adapt and I think ETH still trusts Onana in the next match.

If I may say so, this type of goalkeeper like Onana is really suitable for Pep Guardiola to handle, this type of goalkeeper is indeed Pep Guardiola's favorite. He is a great goalkeeper, in this era it could be said that this type of goalkeeper is rare, but at the moment Onana is in the wrong place.

Actually I agree to give Andre Onana time to adapt, but this season it seems like Manchester United is not performing well and I hope there will be significant changes soon, especially for Andre Onana because he always concedes in every match.
All competitions continue, and the reason for adaptation becomes a classic reason if new players play not according to expectations. And it looks like Andre Onana will sit on the bench for the next match and Manchester United still has a second goalkeeper who was also recently purchased and he is Altay Bayindir, a goalkeeper from Turkey who is said to still need time to adapt. Is he better than Andre Onana or vice versa.

[Raflesia]

Haaland is a pure poacher where he has good ball control and finishing but on the other hand when he becomes a pure poacher then indirectly this needs someone who can flow the ball for him because Haaland's style is not a type of picking up the ball and dribbling like Mbappe but he prefers to find a good position and wait for the ball to finish with accuracy and good body balance.
When the midfielders can't flow the ball well then this will be a problem for Haaland because he becomes closed and confused when the ball is not flowing well so this has an impact now when Manchester City lost several players like KDB and Rodri he became stuck and had difficulty gaining momentum.

I like the word "confused" you made use of and to me it fits most of his performance as of late. I feel he could need a little time out from the starting line ups, maybe he should be started from the bench because if you notice, eyes are still on him even when they know he's not the only threat bit for now, he has the most deadliest finishes. No doubt that Jullian is good but I feel the Spaniard just came into the scene not too long ago and even when Foden runs with the ball, all what most defenders have at the back of their minds is "stop that Norwegian giant from getting ahold of the ball" because chances of passing to him are likely.

There is nothing to say because indeed with his condition in the last few matches when he did not get a really decent supply of balls he did look confused because he was tightly guarded, on the other hand he also could not develop his game because he could not pick up the ball to the middle of the field and dribble because Haaland's focus in the match was only as a targetman and waited for a pass that could be maximized for a goal.

Making him a reserve even with the excuse of a temporary break from the line up I don't think it can be done because however Manchester City still really needs him, it's just that what must be addressed is their midfield in order to fill the void left by Rodri and KDB.