Pep Guardiola labelled Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero irreplaceable amid reports that the striker could leave the Etihad Stadium next summer. His contract expires in 2021, but the Argentine could go before then.
Manchester City head into a pivotal Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night at Molineaux and Aguero could play a major role for the Cityzens.
Manchester City go into the fixture 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool. A win over Wolves would draw Manchester City to 11 points back and that number could be further reduced on Sunday when Manchester City host Sheffield United and Liverpool welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield.
Guardiola has a difficult decision to make at Molineaux. Does he start Aguero or go with Gabriel Jesus to start the match? Wolves took points off of Manchester City last season in the Midlands courtesy of a 1-1 draw. Wolverhampton Wanderers then went to the Etihad earlier this term and won 2-0 thanks to two nearly identical goals from Adama Traore.
So, which striker does Guardiola start: Jesus or Aguero?
Aguero should get the start versus Wolves. The Argentine played just one minute in Manchester City’s win over Leicester City following injury. The consensus is Guardiola wanted to give him a short run out to get back into the flow before starting in the weeks to come.
Aguero missed four straight league matches with a thigh injury. Jesus played well in Aguero’s absence scoring three goals. Yet, the criticism of Jesus is that his goals come in matches against the lesser likes of the Premier League and Champions League. Jesus did score last weekend versus Leicester City helping the Cityzens come back from a goal down to win to ease some of the criticism.
Jesus has six league goals in 15 matches, while Aguero has nine in 13 games. The problem with Aguero is he burnt brightly early and may have burnt himself out. Aguero scored eight goals in his first six Premier League games of the season. Since round six against Watford, Aguero has scored just one goal seven appearances.
Jesus has logged a number of minutes in recent weeks. Therefore, it makes complete sense that Aguero gets the start with matches coming thick and fast. Manchester City will play five matches between Friday night and 7 January when they face Manchester United in the first round of the Carabao Cup semifinals. That is a span of just 12 days.
Aguero will give the team a different threat in attack and ultimately, could give Wolverhampton Wanderers’ defence trouble. If Manchester City can win, they could still give Liverpool a title challenge going into the second half of the season.
