Analysis: Marmoush can step up and shine in Haaland's absence

Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 31.

Player analysis: Omar Marmoush (Man City)

Stepping in to replace Erling Haaland is an unenviable task, but based on the early evidence, Marmoush is not fazed by the challenge.  

The January signing has hit the ground running in a centre forward role, scoring twice since the Norwegian hobbled off with a knee injury 61 minutes into last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final at AFC Bournemouth. 

If City are to claim a top-four finish, the pressure is now on for the 26-year-old Egyptian to maintain a high level of form in the coming weeks.  

And the run-in starts with his first taste of the Manchester derby at Old Trafford this Sunday.

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All eyes will be on how Marmoush handles the occasion, as attempts to fill the void left by Haaland, who has scored six goals in eight appearances against Manchester United.

Can Marmoush deliver on the road? 

Man City’s away form in 2024/25 has been unusually poor.  

While they have a perfect record on their travels against sides placed 14th or below, they have only claimed three points once against opponents ranked above 13th-placed United.  

That was a 2-0 success at Chelsea on the opening weekend back in August.  

They have not carried the threat we usually associate with Pep Guardiola’s side, scoring just 11 times in those 10 Premier League matches.   

Haaland was responsible for five of those away day goals, with Phil Foden netting three times.  

Man City's away record v top 13 in 24/25

Interestingly, all five of Marmoush’s Premier League goals so far for City have come at the Etihad Stadium.  

He did conjure up a morale-boosting goal away to Bournemouth in the FA Cup though, making a clever run before finishing neatly inside a crowded box. 

Promising start 

Until now, playing off the left or in a No 10 role, Marmoush’s output has been excellent since he joined from Eintracht Frankfurt.  

A hat-trick at home to Newcastle United helped to inflate his numbers, but the Egyptian still falls into the prolific category.

Currently scoring top-fight goals at a faster rate than Haaland, the only two current Premier League players ahead of him for this statistic are Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak.

Fastest scoring rate in PL 24/25

*Minimum five goals

While some of his efforts can be a touch erratic, Marmoush’s shot conversion rate of 21.74 per cent does outshine the rest of Man City’s regular attackers, including Haaland, 20.59 per cent.  

His thunderous hit against Brighton & Hove Albion (below) last month also showcased what a clean striker of the ball he can be.  

This was the second goal he has scored for City from outside the box, meaning United’s defensive players will need to get tight to him anywhere across the final third.  

In midweek, Marmoush showed Guardiola he can be a natural poacher.

He cashed in on a mistake from Leicester City goalkeeper Mads Hermansen inside the box to pretty much put the match out of sight.

Marmoush's goal v Leicester

Finishing emphatically following the Dane’s unfortunate spill, Marmoush's positioning and calmness will have reassured Guardiola that he can trust the former to fill Haaland's void.  

While the Foxes did not present the toughest of challenges, it is still worth noting that Marmoush had nine shots against Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side on Wednesday evening.  

Marmoush's attacking threat v Leicester

He is not afraid to try his luck from distance – shooting four times from outside the box – but according to Opta, five of City’s six best chances also fell his way.  

The Egypt international’s 1.45 Expected Goals (xG) was way more than next closest team-mate and fellow goalscorer, Jack Grealish [0.35 xG].  

When big chances come around at Old Trafford, do not be surprised if it is Marmoush on the receiving end of them.  

Will City change the way they play? 

There may be a shift in Man City’s tactical approach with Marmoush up top at Old Trafford. 

He is quick enough to offer a threat in behind with through-balls, ranking as the fourth fastest player at the club this season.  

We saw that pace used to good effect when he raced through to win a penalty against Brighton.

Fastest Man City players 24/25

The big difference is that he does not have the physical presence of Haaland, and is nowhere near as threatening in the air.

For this reason, I would expect City to revert back to the style they had pre-Haaland, where the side was more reliant on guile and combination play in and around the box.  

We caught a glimpse of this against Leicester, when they made a season-high 784 passes. Of that high tally, just six open-play crosses were attempted.  

Man Utd will almost certainly not have to deal with as many crosses as usual without Haaland lurking at the far post.  

This key pass map for Man City (below) highlights how they created chances in a different way - no long-range crosses from wide set up a goalscoring opportunity.  

Man City's key passes v Leicester

What Marmoush does offer is great skill, mobility and energy in the forward areas.  

While he can stray offside a little too regularly, Marmoush is always looking to make something happen with angled, incisive movement.  

How Marmoush ranks for Man City

His work rate is excellent, and because he makes so many off-the-ball runs, as shown in the table above, he will enjoy more touches than Haaland does at centre forward.  

There will be more link-play from City, who are sure to try and feed passes into Marmoush as often as they can.  

Facing a Man Utd side who have looked much sharper of late, a competitive derby fixture is expected.

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