Erling Haaland pursuit could mean last outing for Pep Guardiola's perfect Man City derby formula

The last time Manchester City scored in a home derby against Manchester United, Nicolas Otamendi was the man on the scoresheet.

While you let that information sink in and salute El General, it’s not hard to imagine where the conversation will turn if City draw another derby day blank on Sunday.

“I think the club needs a striker, definitely,” Pep Guardiola said at his pre-match briefing, getting out on the front foot and dismissing praise of the false-nine strategy that has been his go-to for most of the past two seasons.

"You say we play fantastically well without a striker because we are winning. If we are not winning, you tell me we need a striker. I am naive. How is this guy playing without a striker? In the Premier League you have to play with a striker and we need a striker."

He added: “We tried [to buy one] but sometimes it’s not possible. We are not going to buy one [just to] buy. It must give us something special.”

The last point is indisputably true. Erling Haaland is widely reported to be the Premier League champions’ prime target for the forthcoming transfer window and certainly comes into the "special" bracket.

Any replacement for club-record goalscorer Sergio Aguero would have to be in any case, while versatile Argentina international Julian Alvarez promises to be an exciting edition.

Guardiola being on his guard in the days before a big game is understandable, but he should be more accepting of plaudits for a tactic that has uprooted convention in England’s top flight.

Irrespective of how good Haaland or any other marque arrival proves to be, City will lose something when they revert to playing with a conventional forward.

The capacity of Guardiola’s signature tactic to beguile and bamboozle has never