Man City can exploit two Manchester United weaknesses to back up Pep Guardiola's Erling Haaland point

A tale of two attacks

If Erling Haaland is getting criticised for 11 goals in 13 games, what must he think of the form of Manchester United's forwards? Between them, United's four attackers this season have just six goals while Manchester City's number 10 Julian Alvarez has seven on his own. Pep Guardiola said this week that people 'want Haaland to fail', and even suggested he doesn't judge his free-scoring striker on goals.

Instead, Haaland's all-round play was highlighted by Guardiola, and it was against United where he arguably had his best all-round game last season as he added two assists to his Etihad hat-trick. The Haaland-Alvarez relationship has already provided four goals this season and could have had another on Wednesday but for a VAR call. The pair will look to continue to show up United's misfiring forwards on their own patch.

Erik Ten Hag said before this one that his own attackers must be more clinical, and make more of their opportunities on the transition. Maybe the United frontline were on Guardiola's mind when he said Haaland was being criticised unfairly compared to other Premier League strikers. After the boss defended him this week, the strange fixation on Haaland's apparent wastefulness could be put into context on Sunday when compared to United's issues up front.

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City can exploit United defensive crisis

Harry Maguire scored in midweek to continue a mini-revival of sorts of his own United career, but the truth remains he is only in the side due to injuries to Lisandro Martinez and the form of Victor Lindelof. Raphael Varane has been far from