PEP GUARDIOLA caused quite a stir among Dream Team managers when he declared Erling Haaland (£7.8m) fit ahead of the Gameweek 35 deadline.
Given Manchester City were due to visit relegated Southampton in arguably the biggest mismatch of the Premier League weekend, many gaffers rushed to recruit the big No9.
Haaland came from nowhere to be the second-most popular recruit for Gameweek 35, narrowly beaten by Bryan Mbeumo (£4.6m) ahead of Brentford’s trip to Ipswich.
It was a smart move on paper.
The prospect of one of world football’s most prolific goalscorers being unleashed upon the top flight’s worst defence was a mouthwatering one but Dream Team bosses should know not to take anything for granted by now.
Haaland mustered just two points (for playing 60+ minutes) at St Mary’s to leave many gaffers bitterly underwhelmed.
The popular poacher was virtually anonymous as Saints put up a sterner resistance than expected to hold out for a 0-0 draw.
Having been sidelined since late March, a little ring rust is to be expected.
Plus, Haaland is the type of player who is only as good as the players behind him and it’s probably fair to say that Man City may have had one eye on the FA Cup final on the south coast as they played at a relaxed pace.
More intensity is expected from Guardiola’s troops at Wembley this coming Saturday, when they will start as favourites against Crystal Palace – they beat the Eagles 5-2 in the league last month.
Had Haaland feasted against Southampton he would almost certainly be the most popular recruit ahead of Gameweek 36, with Man City due to fulfil two fixtures (Palace at Wembley plus a home league game against Bournemouth).
But a rusty comeback performance may cause gaffers to think twice.
The threat of ‘Pep Roulette’ also looms large, that being the term to describe Guardiola’s unpredictable rotation policy.
Omar Marmoush (£4.8m) scored four goals and provided two assists in nine outings prior to Haaland’s return, a fruitful run that yielded 71 points.
It won’t be a surprise if the Egyptian forward leads the line from the off against the Cherries after Haaland starts at Wembley – or perhaps even the other way around.
This is to say that the Norwegian striker is not guaranteed 180 minutes this coming Gameweek by any means.
Even so, he will be difficult to resist prior the Friday deadline.
After missing seven games through injury, Haaland remains third in the overall rankings with 352 points to his name.
And only Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) has scored more goals (33 to 30) in all competitions at this late stage.
Haaland is currently the second-most recruited player for Gameweek 36, behind only Eberechi Eze (£5.1m).
His ownership is back up to 37.5%, making him the fourth-most selected player in the game, but he’s on track to jump up to third come the deadline.
