When quizzed on Erling Haaland’s availability for Manchester City’s daunting Premier League meeting with Bournemouth on Sunday, all Pep Guardiola could offer was: “I hope so.”
The relentlessly prolific frontman missed Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Swansea City entirely, as he was overlooked for the squad after sustaining a knock during last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa. Guardiola takes a very simple approach to Haaland’s selection: when he is fit, he starts.
As the Catalan coach joked earlier this season: “Maybe at the end when we win the Premier League 10 points in front, 10 games to go, after he will rest.”
City, who lie fifth in the nascent league table, host a Bournemouth side which are just one place and four points adrift of league-leading Arsenal this weekend. The Cherries are unbeaten in the league since outplaying Liverpool in an unfortunate Anfield defeat on the opening weekend of the season.
Andoni Iraola shares the same inspiration as Guardiola: the high priest of the high press Marcelo Bielsa. Bournemouth are a closer imitation of the Argentine’s full-throttle ideals, boasting the most aggressive off-the-ball approach in the Premier League which has overwhelmed much of the division this season.
City will have to be at their best to repel the Cherries and can scarcely afford to go into this tricky test without their talisman.
Guardiola Hints at Solution to Man City’s Haaland Dependency
Haaland’s influence on City’s frontline has been suffocating this season.
The No. 9 boasts 15 goals across 12 appearances in the Premier League and Champions League. No one else in City’s squad has mustered more than one in those competitions.
Omar Marmoush scored his first goal of the season in Wednesday’s nervy Carabao Cup victory, starting upfront in Haaland’s absence. The versatile Egyptian forward was brought in as Julián Alvarez’s belated replacement, theoretically offering an option to play either instead of or together with Haaland.
“With Erling, he knows perfectly how to be patient, how to be in small spaces, how to be consistent, to go to the ones in behind,” Guardiola gushed postgame. “Marmoush has been injured for a long time and of course, playing in the position that Erling plays, and Erling is important, but we know in many games we need both and having him back is so nice.”
Marmoush has not started a league game since August but could potentially resume his partnership with Haaland against Bournemouth, who just so happened to be the last Premier League team to concede a goal scored by Marmoush.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pep Guardiola Provides Three-Word Update on Erling Haaland Fitness Scare.
