The opportunity of the 'Egyptian prince'

Marmoush promises to explode in the upcoming matches - Photo: REUTERS

The Egyptian striker is likely to lead Man City's attack from now until the end of the season, after Erling Haaland was diagnosed with a serious injury.

Guaranteed starting position

Even without Haaland's injury, Marmoush has cemented his place in the City starting line-up at the moment. Since joining City in January, Marmoush has made 11 appearances, eight of which have been starts. He has scored five goals, four of which have come in the Premier League.

In the Premier League alone, Marmoush was rated 7.06 by Whoscored, the third best player for Man City (after Haaland and Doku).

Marmoush's smooth integration shows why Man City paid 75 million euros for the Egyptian striker. Before coming to Etihad Stadium, Marmoush scored 37 goals in 1 and a half years for Frankfurt. In Egypt, Salah is still considered the "king", while Marmoush is likened to the "prince".

Liverpool fans once wanted the team's management to bring Marmoush back to pair with Salah, but Man City spectacularly snatched him away.

When Man City spent 75 million euros, there were doubts that the Etihad board had overspent. Even when Salah was a huge success at Liverpool, there were still doubts surrounding an Egyptian player. Germany and England are two football environments with significant differences, not to mention the huge difference in stature between Man City and Frankfurt.

Use people like you use wood.

But Marmoush has adapted faster than expected, in a way that even Man City fans did not dare to expect. Instead of letting Marmoush be a backup for Haaland, coach Guardiola let the Egyptian striker play at the same time as the Norwegian superstar.

The price was Marmoush being pulled to the left wing, which is not the natural position for a pure striker like Marmoush. In the first half of this season, Marmoush scored 20 goals for Frankfurt thanks to playing in his natural position as a striker.

But Pep Guardiola is famous as a tactical master with the ability to transform the players at his disposal. After more than 2 months, he successfully "pressed" Marmoush into a new position.

Sometimes Marmoush was assigned to play the attacking midfield position right behind Haaland. Sometimes he came on to replace Haaland and then played back in his favorite "number 9" position.

Will the "prince" become the "king"?

Marmoush's special point is that he has scored in all the positions assigned by coach Guardiola. That was the hat-trick against Newcastle when playing as a left forward. That was the goal against Brighton when playing as an attacking midfielder. And the goal that sealed the score against Bournemouth when coming on as a substitute for Haaland.

Now, Haaland's injury has put Marmoush in perhaps the most comfortable position since joining Man City. It is almost certain that the Egyptian striker will be given his usual starting position, at least for the next 4-5 matches.

Salah is in the final years of his career and Marmoush is poised to become the new 'Egyptian king' of the Premier League.

Liverpool cautious in derby

The highlight of the 30th round of the Premier League, taking place early in the morning of April 3 (Vietnam time), will be the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. In the first leg in February, Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Everton thanks to a last-second goal.

In the second leg, Liverpool's situation is more comfortable as they are far ahead of Arsenal in the championship race. However, coach Arne Slot's team is losing morale after consecutive defeats in the Champions League and the League Cup final.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thoi-co-cua-hoang-tu-ai-cap-20250401230248374.htm