On the last day of December, Manchester City won again. In the 20th round of the Premier League at home to Sheffield United, Manchester City showed control. At full-time, City played 81 per cent possession against 19 per cent opponents, with 18 shots on goal and Sheffield United four. Rodri broke the deadlock in the first half and Alvarez scored in the second half as City won 2-0 at Sheffield United.
Manchester City have equalled Arsenal on points and are currently third in the Premier League, two points behind first-placed Liverpool. Manchester City 2-0 is embarrassed by the lack of whom!Without 180 million superstars, 6 wins and 1 draw in 7 games, it is no wonder that Messi won the golden goal.
Manchester City have been in good form of late, beating Luton, Red Star Belgrade, Urawa Red Diamonds, Fluminense, Everton and Sheffield United, with their only winless run coming at a penalty draw from Crystal Palace. Obviously, even with Haaland's injury, Manchester City is still strong, which also shows a problem, in the absence of Haaland, who is worth as much as 180 million euros, Manchester City are still dominant, and Messi won this year's Ballon d'Or, and there is no longer any dispute.
Manchester City's strength lies in the whole, with top players in many positions in the squad, and Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world. In the absence of a key player, City are often able to find a replacement and still win. So which player's absence has had the biggest impact on City?
With or without Rodri, Manchester City are two teams. Rodri can attack and defend well, often scoring key goals or providing assists, and without Rodri, Guardiola simply cannot find a player to replace Rodri in the Manchester City team. Without Haaland, City still have players who can score. Manchester City's creativity is here, often feeding Haaland, pushing empty goals, and without Haaland, other Manchester City players can also score. In other words, Haaland is not the most important player in the Manchester City team, Manchester City has won consecutive titles, how can he stand out and win the Ballon d'Or?
Moreover, Haaland's performance in key competitions such as the FA Cup final, Champions League semi-finals, finals, and UEFA Super Cup was not very good, which lowered his image. Looking at his Golden Ball Award rival Messi, without Messi, the Argentine team can be so strong, can it be so united, can it win the World Cup, and the Argentine team without Messi will drop a notch. Messi won the most important championship in the time frame of the Ballon d'Or, and he is the soul of the Argentine team, so of course the Ballon d'Or will be awarded to Messi.