5 Things We Learned: City vs West Ham

City return from the international break and pull off a resounding win against a usually capable and dangerous West Ham side. Seeing Pep back on the touchline was a welcome sight for all City fans and without further delay, here’s the latest of our ’5 Things We Learned’ series. 

(+) Julián Álvarez is a gamechanger.

Much has been said about our Argentinian World Cup winner in recent weeks. Most of the narrative focused on what he can’t do, where he shouldn’t play. In the case of Álvarez, the conversation needs to shift to what he CAN do and the impact he makes whenever he’s on the pitch. No, he doesn’t possess the silky first touch of a Riyad Mahrez or the ability to play on the half-turn like Phil Foden. But he doesn’t need to and this obsession with wanting him to be more like other players needs to stop. 5 G/A in 5 matches, with a beautiful chipped assist to Bernardo and a pre-assist through ball for Bernardo’s assist to Haaland in the West Ham game is a testament to his ability to make something happen when he’s on the pitch. Combined with his relentless pressing, humble attitude, and ability to score a goal from nowhere, you get the sense that he is nowhere near the finished product as a player and Pep’s belief in him is unshakeable, even going as far to say he’s borderline undroppable for the squad right now. He is only going to get better.

(+) Jérémy Doku Is a Breath of Fresh Air

The first half seemed more or less a bit of a struggle for City. But lead by Doku, the second half was a completely different story. It’s not just his pace that makes him so effective. Doku has been misprofiled as an “Adama Traore” type but his workrate, technicality, and intelligence is vastly underrated. Losing possession may have lead to West Ham scoring in the first half but the way he bounced back was admirable from the young Belgian. He was absolutely relentless in the second half, running at the defense over and over again, finding the right channels to fill and constantly trying to feed Haaland. He is fearless when it comes to taking on his man and we’ve been missing this sort of dynamic from our attacking players in recent years, opting for more control. Doku is a unique prospect who should be able to offer both control and plenty of chaos.

(+) The Inevitable Haaland

For much of the game, it seemed like one of those days for Halaand. But this man is on a Thanos level of inevitable when it comes to scoring goals. A victim of his own success and lofty standards, a couple of missed chances had many City fans (including myself) wondering if we should be concerned with the striker’s form.. which is just flat out ridiculous. He got his goal, had plenty of chances, and as always, drew plenty of attention away from our other attackers, likely opening up space for someone like Doku to operate freely. I can’t help but get frustrated from time to time but when it comes to Haaland, I think it’s safe to say that he’s going to get his and we have nothing to worry about. Keep doing your thing Erling!

(+) Our Summer Transfer Window Was Nearly Impeccable

Every single signing we’ve made has looked like they were born to play for City. And retaining Walker and Bernardo were absolutely essential for reasons on and off the pitch. Kovacic (get better soon), Gvardiol, Doku, and even Nunes, who made his City debut have all been spot on when on the pitch. Losing veterans like Gundo, Mahrez, and Laporte was always going to be difficult but the City board have shown once again that their process is unparalleled.  

(+) Lucas Paquetá will Play for City Next Year

This may be a bit premature but depending on how the betting scandal pans out, I am confident Lucas Paquetá will play for City next season. The embrace with Pep and greetings with the City staff struck me as clear indications that negotiations were deep and serious. With Bernardo’s release clause set at an affordable 50m for next summer and Paquetá clearly a Pep favorite, the writing seems on the wall. His creativity, ball retention, and profile is perfect for our squad and City have been on his tail for years now. Watch this space.

Written by: SHEIKH