Manchester City have seen some changes in this season in terms of personnel as some players have left the club for various reasons. However they have also made a big signing in Erling Haaland and it has paid its dividends and the Norwegian target man has been netting in those goals consistently.
The Citizens earlier had Sergio Aguero but once the Argentine legend left the club, they were looking for someone who can carry that mantle and take it forward. They had another South American in their ranks in Gabriel Jesus but City manager Pep Guardiola was not convinced as he decided to bring in one of the most talked about young talents in European football from Borussia Dortmund.
Understanding the club’s stance, Gabriel jesus decided to move away from City in search of more gametime and hence joined Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. The Spanish tactician was a fan of the brazilian forward for a long time and wanted someone of his calibre to lead the attack in a team which is filled with young talents.
From that time to now Jesus apart from his injury issues have been a great addition to the Gunners team as they are challenging for the Premier League title. He has scored five goals and provided seven assists in 20 Premier League appearances this season before he suffered a serious injury at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has been out of action since then.
Whereas Haaland has already been a massive hit for Manchester City as the young forward has scored 32 goals for the Cityzens which also include 26 league goals in only 23 appearances this season. So it is fair to say that Manchester City are not missing the Brazilian’s services upfront.
However Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has drawn a couple of difference between the two forwards in their style of play as he rated the Brazilian to be more versatile and someone who could also adapt in a wider role whereas Haaland is someone who is mostly central and is a target for the other players in the penalty area.
Comparing the two players, Ederson highlighted, “When [Haaland] arrived, we said he was going to score a lot – and that’s been happening. He is a brilliant goalscorer, he always looks to score and help the team. He is the striker we needed because in comparison to Gabriel (Jesus), they are different players: Gabi likes to come in from out wide, he is stronger and more versatile; Haaland plays more centrally, looking to get into the box, he is a target in the area.”
It has been fascinating to see these two teams fight it out against each other in the Premier League as City have recently beaten Arsenal and had the upper hand. But a recent draw against Nottingham Forest has pulled things back slightly for the Gunners. Overall Arteta’s men are leading the Premier League points table by a couple of points but City in second place have a match in hand and will get a chance to overtake the Gunners in their next outing. However it will be extremely exciting to see how the title challenge unfolds with every passing matchday.
