Micah Richards feels Manchester City striker Erling Haaland could have a field day today against Tottenham Hotspur.
City are looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League, having drawn their last two matches with Liverpool and Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola watched his side show good character in midweek to come from behind and beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League. City topped their group as a result of the win, meaning the final game with Red Star Belgrade can perhaps be used to experiment.
Today for City it’s Spurs, a side that have often given Pep trouble since his arrival at City back in 2016.
But the Lilywhites have an interesting way of playing these days, and Micah Richards reckons it could really play into Erling Haaland‘s hands…
Micah Richards feels Tottenham’s tactics could see Erling Haaland thrive today
Ahead of West Ham United vs Crystal Palace today there was a bit of talk about City and Spurs.
Under Ange Postecoglu, the north London side have found success playing with a very high line for the most part.
In recent weeks it has not yielded as much success, but it has definitely looked quite effective at times this season.
But it is something Richards believes could be Spurs’ undoing today, as he feels a player like Haaland could exploit the tactic. He said on Sky: “We know what Spurs do. Normally when they come here they sit really deep and try and get City on the counter-attack, but if they come with that high line today they will get punished.
“Haaland is one of the best at running in behind, and we know Spurs like to get among people and press high. But they can’t do that at the Etihad.”
Haaland could well have a field day
Richards is right to suggest that Haaland could really thrive today against Tottenham. Postecoglu has not really deviated away from this high line tactic and so it’s possible he could roll it out again today.
He would be a very brave man to do so, because City have some tremendous passers with great vision and of course, the best striker in the world in Haaland.
Haaland is obviously amazing at making space in the box to score with simple finishes. But he is also one of the very best at making runs in behind.
The £51 million superstar makes so many during games and often doesn’t actually get found. Certainly, that has been the case since Kevin De Bruyne got injured.
But he is always looking to receive that line-breaking pass or ball over the top, and if City breach the defence today there will be a very good chance of Haaland getting a goal or two, as we all know how clinical he is.
