Last time Ilkay Gundogan scored against Aston Villa by sneaking in at the far post, City triumphed in the League. On Sunday, the outcome against the same opposition was nearly identical. But the celebrations were different because this time, provider Erling Haaland received praise from his teammates.
After seizing on Lucas Digne’s errant header back, Haaland manoeuvred around goalkeeper Emi Martinez and made a commendable job of crossing for Gundogan. After a superb display of opportunistic forward play, four teammates raced to Haaland to celebrate. Gundogan, and the supporters behind the goal all chanted for the striker as well. Haaland has been given the assignment of improving his assist total.
Mixed messages to Haaland
If Haaland was enjoying the love from his teammates following Gundogan’s goal, Jack Grealish winning a penalty and immediately Rodri and Riyad Mahrez fighting over who would take it brought him back to reality. The single penalty Haaland has taken in his career has resulted in a goal. Mahrez has missed twice and Rodri last took a shot in 2021.
Mahrez won the dispute and converted coolly as fans once more chanted for Haaland. They indicated who they wanted to take the ball from them. Haaland was replaced at halftime after a few minutes, when the score was 3-0 and attention was focused on Arsenal. Mahrez deserved to score, and the penalty was well-taken. But it is doubtful that he should have beat Haaland’s perfect record.
Some concerns were being raised about Rodri’s form after a rise in errors in recent games, notably three in the two contests against Tottenham. With Arsenal coming up next, it wouldn’t have been a great surprise to rest the Spaniard against Villa. Previously an unstoppable cog in the City side, perhaps the over-reliance on the Spaniard was beginning to show.
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The left back problem for City
But Rodri began for City in a new system, and he showed right away why he belonged there with a strong header from a Riyad Mahrez corner to put the Blues ahead right away. Rodri was closer to being at his most powerful, and the goal did wonders for his self-assurance. It was also a more offensive display from the holding midfielder than City is used to, but with Bernardo providing coverage, Rodri might have scored a hat trick on another occasion.
Joao Cancelo felt forced to leave. Nathan Ake performed great at left-back by Pep Guardiola. Guardiola hasn’t used Ake there in two games since Cancelo left, instead starting Rico Lewis on the left at Tottenham. His pair with Haaland is commendable.
The experimental lineup also implied that letting Cancelo go was not part of any long-term strategy and that Guardiola could need to conduct a few more trials before deciding on a strategy for that position for the remainder of the campaign. However, having Bernardo play a more defensive role when covering could be advantageous for the manager’s chosen system.
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