Was the front three Manchester played against Real Madrid their best attacking lineup? | OneFootball

Ever since Antoine Semenyo signed for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been juggling with what his best attacking lineup is. The City squad is filled with attacking talent. Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Savinho, Rayan Cherki, and Phil Foden are a quality set of attacking options for Pep Guardiola to utilize. The issue has been that Guardiola is yet to settle on a defined front three. Against Real Madrid in City’s 2-1 defeat at the Etihad, Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki started. The trio played well and they did look like Manchester City’s best attack. The question is, if Pep Guardiola is picking his first-choice attack, is Doku, Haaland, and Cherki it?

Deciphering what the best attack for Manchester City is isn’t a straightforward process.

One idea that can be discarded concerning what is the best Manchester City attacking lineup is the idea that Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho can all start together. Pep Guardiola tried this against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie at the Bernabeu. It failed spectacularly as City were beaten 3-0 and their lineup was too unbalanced. That was the only time Guardiola has tried to pigeon hole so many attackers into one lineup. Based on how that game panned out, it likely won’t be seen again.

A look at any previous Man City results shows that Pep Guardiola prefers to work with a front three. Outside of Erling Haaland as a striker, all of Manchester City’s attacking options are interchangeable. Semenyo can play on either wing or up front. Savinho can play on the left or right. Rayan Cherki can play on the right wing and drift all over the pitch. Phil Foden can do likewise. Omar Marmoush can play behind Haaland or lead the line. The options are plentiful for Pep Guardiola to utilize. One option that doesn’t seem to work is if Haaland, Semenyo, and Marmoush start together without a creative player behind them. Outside of that lineup, there are a host of attacking options for Pep Guardiola to throw at an opponent.

Looking at the Manchester City stats for this season shows the plethora of versatile options City are blessed with. The statistics also show that City need more players to hit the scoresheet outside of Haaland and Semenyo.

Doku, Cherki and Haaland seems to be the best City attack for right now.

Having said that, the best attack for right now that Pep Guardiola can use seems to be Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki. Their games complement each other. That stood out against Real Madrid at the Etihad. Doku provides pace and creativity. Cherki is a creative force, and Haaland needs the service that those two provide to thrive. If City are heading into a big match, that would be the front three you’d like to see on the team sheet.

What Manchester City are blessed with is a wide variety of attacking options to trouble any opponent. That variety and the quality of each player give Pep Guardiola an attack that can cause headaches for City’s opponents. Perhaps there isn’t a defined preferred attacking lineup for this City side, given that each opponent provides a different set of challenges for each game. However, you do sense that Haaland, Doku, and Cherki are the attacking lineup that gives Manchester City the best chance of success as of right now.

However an alternative emerged yesterday at Wembley.

Having said all of that, the attacking lineup that Pep Guardiola used against Arsenal in yesterday’s Carabao Cup final may now be City’s ideal attacking lineup. Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, and Rayan Cherki all started at Wembley as City beat Arsenal 2-0 to claim the Carabao Cup. The ability of Doku, Cherki, and Semenyo to interchange positions is a vital component of City’s attacking play. We saw this yesterday, especially when Nico O’Reilly bursts forward.

Any way you look at it, Manchester City are blessed with quality attacking options. How Pep Guardiola utilizes those options is always fascinating to keep an eye out for. You do feel that Haaland, Doku, and Cherki are Manchester City’s best attacking trio. But with Antoine Semenyo starting with them, City’s attack becomes even more lethal.