TOPS
If some were wondering if Erling Haaland was going to panic the statistics again, the “Cyborg” clearly answered them this Friday evening. Author of a fox double from the surfaces, with a clear strike at the conclusion of a collective action (4th), then a shot rolled up in the top corner (37th), here is the Norwegian striker left to terrorize the defenses of England. He also took the opportunity to score his 100th goal in a European top 5 championship.
On paper, the opposition could seem unbalanced between the triple defending champion, author of the hat-trick last season, and a simple promoted. If Burnley had some intentions, the difference in level and the technical gap allowed Pep Guardiola’s men to spend a quiet evening.
What activity from the Spanish midfielder. Faced with Burnley’s high pressing, Pep Guardiola’s men were able to count on the Spanish international’s delicious technique and sense of placement to avoid unfortunate situations when restarting. The former Atlético de Madrid even allowed himself a few raids with long shots (55th, 68th) before closing the mark following a mess in the opposing area (75th).
FLOPS
The only downside this Friday evening is the injury of Cityzens playing master Kevin De Bruyne. Visibly affected in the hamstrings, the 32-year-old Belgian came out with his head down after just 23 minutes of play, replaced by Mateo Kovacic who made his big debut. Already embarrassed by several physical glitches last season, he who had been forced to leave his partners during the C1 final, De Bruyne is off to a bad start this new season.
Can we speak of a pet peeve when in the last 12 clashes, you have a cumulative total score of 43-1? The term may be weak. The latest clash had also turned into a correction: the two teams had met in the FA Cup and City had crushed the Clarets 6-0. Two teams which do not box in the same category.
