Pep Guardiola's Erling Haaland blueprint could force spotlight on Julian Alvarez at Man City

Manchester City's squad has undergone a degree of surgery this summer. The dynamics have changed at the Etihad, with the club appearing intent on presenting Erling Haaland with a platform to thrive.

With the Norwegian poacher set to operate as Pep Guardiola's first real striker since Sergio Aguero, City are moving from a strikerless system to one which is formed around a fixed man in the penalty box this season. As a result, adjustments have been made.

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus have recently been sold to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively. Both of those players had expiring contracts, but they also performed in the mould of inside forwards who were inclined to get goals.

ALSO READ: Kevin De Bruyne praises Man City academy stars after pre-season win

With Haaland now in the team, he looks set to hoover up the majority of the shots in comparison to his teammates, who perhaps won't be required to score as much and will instead be responsible for creating chances for the 22-year-old marksman.

As a consequence of his presence, Guardiola seems to be favouring creators rather than forwards such as Sterling and Jesus. With Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden acting as playmakers behind Haaland, he should benefit from service all over the pitch.

The City boss is naturally accommodating his new main man, having once stated: “If you have strikers like Lewandowski and Muller, you have to make crosses because they are so strong in the box. For Sergio Aguero we have to find other solutions. The way we finish the attack depends on the qualities of the players.”

However, although tweaks made sense, there could be a slight issue associated with Haaland's tendency to pick up small knocks every now and then.