Manchester City slumped to their second defeat in four days as Bodo/Glimt pulled off a shock 3-1 in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League tie.
It’s now just two wins in seven competitive matches this calendar year – and one of those was against League One outfit Exeter City.
For all the Fantasy fallout, here are our first midweek Scout Notes.
RESULT
| TEAM | OPPOSITION | RESULT | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | Bodo/Glimt (a) | 1-3 | Cherki | O’Reilly |
SELECTION / ROTATION
| TEAM | CHANGES FROM GAMEWEEK 22 | PLAYERS WHO KEPT THEIR PLACES (+ MINS) | OTHER PLAYERS (+ MINS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 4 | Donnarumma (90), Lewis (90), Khusanov (90), Alleyne (90), Haaland (90), Foden (70), Rodri (62) | Ait-Nouri (90), O’Reilly (90), Cherki (90), Reijnders (90), Marmoush (20) |
ANOTHER 90 MINUTES FOR HAALAND…
A week after calling Erling Haaland (£15.1m) “exhausted”, Pep Guardiola had the chance to manage the Norwegian’s minutes in the Arctic Circle. Omar Marmoush (£8.3m) was back in the Manchester City squad after the end of the Africa Cup of Nations, and ready for game-time of some variety.
And yet… another 90 minutes for Haaland. Not only was Marmoush benched, but when he did emerge, he replaced Phil Foden (£8.6m) and not the Norwegian.
City’s frustrated-looking number nine seemed again like he was running on empty, although Haaland being Haaland, there were still opportunities: a big back-post set-piece chance that he failed to make contact with and a snap shot from 12 yards that he’d usually bury.
“I take full responsibility, together with Rodri, Gigi [Donnarumma] you know, Tijjani, us experienced players. I don’t want to blame anyone, but we need to take more responsibility because in the end, it’s not good enough.
“I don’t want to speak about how I feel [physically] or whatever. I do my best whenever I’m on the pitch. I’m on the pitch quite often because we play a ridiculous amount of games. So, I try to do my best. That’s my job. And I try to get ready for the next game because now in the end, another game is in four days. So, we have to try to recover again.” – Erling Haaland
FPL’s leading points-scorer cited the “ridiculous” volume of games above. What are the odds on a Haaland rest this weekend, then, with next Wednesday’s tie against Galatasaray unexpectedly a must-win match?
Above: City did have their chances on Tuesday, with Haaland’s two aforementioned opportunities and a Max Alleyne header from a corner their clearest openings
…AND ANOTHER EARLY SUB FOR FODEN
Foden’s pitch-time in Gameweek 23 is even more questionable.
A half-time substitution in the Manchester derby (which had nothing to do with a broken hand) was followed by a 70th-minute withdrawal on Tuesday. Foden was the only City player to come off in Bodo.
His performances have tailed off badly since the New Year, not that he’s alone. Could it be more mental fatigue, given his much-vaunted physical condition? Either way, there are some big question marks for Gameweek 23. If we’re assuming Jeremy Doku (£6.4m) and Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m) – unused in and ineligible for Tuesday’s game – are brought back into the side against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Rayan Cherki (£6.7m) is arguably deserving of a place after two goals in the last week, then does Foden miss out?
Cherki was one of the few to come out of the Bodo match with much credit. It wasn’t just his (deflected) goal but his willingness to show for the ball. The Frenchman created a match-high four chances, too.
TIME FOR GUEHI
One of the first names on the teamsheet this weekend, surely, is Marc Guehi (£5.3m).
Max Alleyne‘s (£4.5m) race is almost certainly run now. A half-time exit on Saturday was followed by lapses for Bodo’s opening two strikes.
City’s defence on Tuesday consisted of two 20-year-olds, a 21-year-old and a 24-year-old. Rico Lewis (£4.6m), in midfield, is 21. While Guehi is still only 25, he’s got 150+ Premier League appearances and 26 England caps under his belt. The experience and leadership that the injured Ruben Dias (£5.6m) and Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) brought looks like it’s being missed at present.
Ait-Nouri and O’Reilly – who assisted Cherki with some fine footwork – were praised after the match. No one, indeed, came in for any criticism. Remember, though, that Guardiola will nearly always publicly defend his players while saying something different behind closed doors. He is, to the media, basically Ozamataz Buckshank after a loss.
“I think Rayan Ait-Nouri was excellent. The second half or the last half an hour from Nico O’Reilly was excellent. The players who were outside, and I think Tijjani and Phil and the other one, they have good moments during the game.” – Pep Guardiola
Guardiola at least acknowledged the problems at the back. Guehi, and Matheus Nunes (£5.5m), if he’s over his illness, surely come in on Saturday.
“The back four always give you consistency and right now we are missing that.” – Pep Guardiola
Above: Rayan Ait-Nouri started at right-back on Tuesday, with Nico O’Reilly returning to left-back
Rodri (£6.3m) has to cop some blame for the defensive showing, having been sent off for two bookable offences. He was well off the pace, although he was often left alone as Foden and Tijjani Reijnders (£5.2m) bombed forward. You’d imagine Bernardo Silva (£6.2m) – suspended in Europe – comes back in alongside Rodri to shore up the midfield on Saturday, furthering the possibility that it’s Cherki v Foden for one spot.
ANOTHER TWO GAMES?
The “ridiculous” number of games could be added to.
Had City won in Bodo, they’d have been almost home and hosed and in the last 16. After defeat, they’re in real danger of needing to progress through a play-off (for teams finishing 9th-24th) to reach the knockout rounds. Even a win next Wednesday might not be enough to seal automatic qualification.
The play-off matches would be contested on either side of Gameweek 27:
