Manchester City – Inter: But by the way, is there a strong man in City?

There is one exploding on the screen. Because the purpose of football is to score goals. Erling Haaland has 52 appearances in 52 appearances in all competitions. He is the top scorer in the English Premier League (36 goals) and the Champions League (12 goals). The Norwegian was brought in to establish City’s collective dominance and he did so brilliantly. He also provided other perspectives on the Mancunian game, able to become more vertical thanks to the former Borussia Dortmund player’s physical assets. Does it end up making him the town’s tough guy? not necessarily.

The focus of all possibilities

Haaland is at the forefront of the system that others before him have embraced. It is at the end of the spine where every man plays a crucial role like that of the Norwegian. And complete as it is. There is Kevin De Bruyne. The Belgian is the main player in City in the sense that he is the free man in Guardiola’s system. A privilege as well as a responsibility. He owes it to his exceptional ability to move between lines and his innate sense of the last passing. Haaland panicked at the goal stats, De Bruyne panicked. He has 31 in all competitions. His career is high.

But if the two offensive elements of this spine shine in all their brilliance, they owe a great deal to the shadow work of the two defensive players that complement it. Rodri will not be the one to put the spotlight on City. But if the question of the tough guy in Guardiola’s team is asked, so could he be the answer. The Spaniard is the metronome, the one who maintains collective balance through the science of placement, the one who ensures the rotation of the liquid ball through the precision of his game choices and his technical precision. City comes to life around him. Especially thanks to him.

Then there is the axis at the base of this axis for all possibilities. Ruben Dias had already established himself as City’s chief of defence, but the Portuguese took another dimension in the hybrid system put in place by Guardiola. He provides this safety that allows both other defenders to get to press the attackers, sometimes even 30 meters out from the opposition, and John Stones develops most often in midfield to make the excess in midfield. Few gamers can pull off such a delicate task while exuding the calmness of communication. And because he pulled it off, Dias gives City a lot of certainty.

Historic…and the ones we didn’t expect

It is already difficult to identify a strong man among the members of the Mancunian Axis. It is even more difficult to bypass others in silence. History is at the top of their game. Ederson, is irreplaceable and always defines the quality of his kicking game. John Stones has elevated the Mancunian set-up since being relocated in midfield and shines in a hybrid role but is very difficult to keep. Ilkay Gundogan, captain and midfield coach, is the man of the end of the season, like his brace in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United (2-1). Bernardo Silva’s impressive performance against Real Madrid is enough to sum up the enormous influence of the Portuguese, so prized for his creativity and dynamism.

But there are also those who spent less time, which was not expected at this level. Manuel Akanji has taken on another dimension since joining City last summer, with an amazing ability to display the same performance in the middle or up one side. The situation is similar with Nathan Aké, upset with a season-ending injury, and completely replaced by Kyle Walker. As for Jack Grealish, he has taken the full measure of City’s demands, so much so that he replaced Phil Foden in the starting position on the left flank of attack.

This is the true strength that Josep Guardiola has achieved. He has managed to persuade his players to adhere to an atypical, and therefore demanding, discipline, and to raise them to a level where each appears dominant in his positions. Even those who come off the bench are in tune. And that says a lot about the task ahead of Simone Inzaghi on Saturday in Istanbul. Most coaches target the opposing team’s weak links to develop their game plan, but against him, an Inter coach will only have strong men.