Mercato Mercato – Manchester City – Haaland – Guardiola, the improbable marriage between the 9 and the one who no longer wanted it

No attacker but an insolent mastery for a corrida regulated like clockwork. The goal : « Try to control the middle and exploit the space« , explains the boss who then delivers his mantra at a press conference after the coronation. Eleven years have passed, ‘guardiolism’ has spread throughout Europe, the faux-nine is no longer a dirty word but a widespread alternative. and its founder continued his work. In 2016, Chelsea and City, led by Guardiola, faced each other without a centre-forward on the pitch. Last year, for City’s first Champions League final, again against the Blues, the Catalan technician is still innovating.

Six false nines at City

Guardiola is not looking for a nine but a finisher

Haaland’s arrival responds to a need: to make Manchester City’s too many missed opportunities a reality. More than a centre-forward, Guardiola is looking for a finisher. And it must be remembered that, had it not been for Tottenham’s intransigence last summer, Harry Kane would have had to join City. It’s been several months since the Cityzens brain noticed the inability of his people to finish the job in the most important moments of the season. This team lacks a cold-blooded killer. This is how the recurring failures in the Champions League are analyzed and it is enough to see the number of missed chances by City in the semi-final first leg against Real Madrid (despite the four goals scored) to see the harm. that eats away at the champions of England.

To put an end to 11 years of failure in C1, the Catalan wants to increase his conversion rate of clear chances and he knows that his team can stuff his new center forward with ammunition. Who today is better placed than Erling Haaland for this mission? The man who weighs 23 goals in 19 Champions League matches, 61 pawns in 66 Bundesliga outings. The Norwegian is a scoring machine. The arrival of a striker of this size, and the investment made by City, will force Guardiola to review his main principles of play. Is he capable of it? How will Haaland adapt to his new boss and how will ‘guardianism’ adapt to Haaland? Eleven years after reinventing football without a center forward, Guardiola is forced to reinvent his football with the great center forward of tomorrow.