Pep Guardiola replaced Haaland by using Egyptian and Semenyo in a way that had the visitors chasing shadows
Pep Guardiola has been required to find solutions for a plethora of things at Manchester City. Some attribute a reinvention of the English game to him, making lumbering centre‑backs redundant in the process. One matter over the years has caused Guardiola to flounder, but against Newcastle an experiment showed promise.
Finding a replacement for Erling Haaland has proved almost impossible. It is understandable, the Norwegian is a freak of nature masquerading as a footballer. A plunderous record of 151 goals in 181 appearances for the Nordic robot makes the task of understudying an unenviable one, and no matter how many tomahawk steaks or glasses of raw milk are consumed, they will never be Haaland.
The World Cup winner Julián Álvarez, from a country where beef is idolised as much as Lionel Messi, tried it but was losing the fight, exiting for Atlético Madrid. The idea of putting Omar Marmoush on Rico Lewis’s shoulders may have created the requisite height but, like cloning, was impractical for Guardiola, even with City’s financial muscle. This has forced Haaland to play more than is desirable, causing him to look jaded in recent weeks.
