Only two days after the completion of his transfer from Palmeiras, Gabriel Jesus made his Manchester City debut as a late substitute against Tottenham Hotspur on January 21. And he got his first Premier League start on February 1 against West Ham United in which he contributed an assist and a goal in the 4-0 thrashing of the Hammers.
But more than the goals it was a significant development in the blue half of Manchester that the newcomer had confined Sergio Aguero to the bench.
The Brazilian was again the fulcrum of his team’s attack in the next league game against Swansea as Aguero was reduced to a brief cameo off the bench. And the young Brazilian justified his inclusion by slotting home both of his team’s goals as they came away 2-1 winners.
Jesus was one of the first players that Pep Guardiola signed upon his arrival at Manchester City. The 19-year-old cost a steep £27 million to prise away from Palmeiras and his performances in the Brazilian top flight as well as in Brazil’s gold medal-winning campaign at the Rio Olympics last summer made it seem a sound investment with the potential to give great dividends in the future.
And on the evidence of his first two weeks in the English league, Jesus appears to be on course to stay at the Etihad Stadium for a long time to come.
Where does that leave Aguero?
When Guardiola took the reins of the Citizens in the summer everyone expected Aguero to be his first choice striker. And the Argentine justified the sentiments as he scored in the first game of the Guardiola era in a 2-1 win over Sunderland. He followed it up with a hat-trick in a 5-0 defeat of Steaua Bucharest in a Champions League qualifier before grabbing a brace in a 4-1 hammering of Stoke City in the league.
Manchester City were off to a flying start and took charge of the league with six successive wins. However, Guardiola surprised everyone by leaving Aguero out of his playing eleven in a tough away fixture against Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League. The match ended in a 4-0 thrashing for the former Blaugrana manager upon his return to his old stomping ground. And the Argentine was restored in the starting line-up in the return leg that produced the best football Manchester City have played this season as they ran away 3-1 winners.
There have been games where Aguero has been omitted from the first team for no obvious reasons other than Guardiola not fancying him. With all the problems he has faced this season it would be easy to forget that he has kept scoring at a prolific rate, having notched 18 goals from 26 games.
However, it has been clear as day that Guardiola expects a lot more from Aguero than just goals.
No place for one-dimensional players
The brand of football that the Catalan preaches involves players doing more than just their primary tasks. A goalkeeper should be able to play with his feet and not just be a shot stopper. A defensive midfielder should also be able to initiate attacking moves and not just be a destroyer in front of his team’s defence. And in Aguero’s case, he should be able to contribute more than just putting the ball in the net.
Guardiola has no patience for one-dimensional players. In the aftermath of the Champions League defeat at the Camp Nou, he justified the Argentine’s exclusion by saying: “Aguero was a tactical decision; we wanted more in the middle. I try to keep the ball in Camp Nou because I believe when you have the ball, [Lionel] Messi, [Luis] Suarez and Neymar don’t have it and they are still dangerous, but less dangerous.”
The implication was clear. Guardiola did not trust Aguero’s hold-up play. He did not expect him to offer more than just goals.
In Jesus he has found someone who fits his template of a centre forward.
“He made again a lot of things, without the ball, with the ball”, said Guardiola of the 19-year-old after his two-goal heroic against Swansea.
The former Bayern Munich boss further added: “He is a guy who runs for 90 minutes and the long balls he is a fighter – he can win against taller, central defenders. He is 19 years old so that’s why we are delighted about what he has done until now”.
It is no surprise that the 46-year-old prefers young players whom he can mould according to his plans rather than established stars who might find it harder to learn new tricks. It is notable that when Aguero finally made his way to the pitch as a late substitute against Swansea, he was sent to the wing as Jesus played through the centre.
These are ominous signs for Aguero. Guardiola has already mentioned that he is “uncertain” about the Argentine striker’s future. Aguero doesn’t fit Guardiola’s style and the manager has found his right apprentice.
Guardiola goes by feeling
One of the first acts of the Catalan manager upon taking charge of Barcelona was to ship off Deco and Ronaldinho. The duo had been integral part of Barcelona’s most successful team in recent times but Guardiola had nothing to do with players he deemed were too big to follow his instructions.
He did not just stop with the Portuguese and the Brazilian, but also tried to get rid of Samuel Eto’o – one of the greatest strikers in the club’s history. However, Eto’o stayed after efforts to sell him off failed. The Cameroonian went on to score 36 goals in all competitions, including the opener in the Champions League final against Manchester United, as Barcelona collected a treble of the league title, the European Cup and the Copa del Rey.
The following summer, he was off.
About his decision to sell Eto’o, Guardiola explained: “I understand perfectly that people want to know why because he’s a marvellous footballer. On and off the pitch, he’s been fine all year, but it’s a question of feeling”.
The manager had no qualms in selling one of the best strikers at the time on the basis of “feeling”. The following season, the Cameroonian’s replacement, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was frozen out after he failed to live up to the manager’s expectations and the next summer window, he was off as well.
Aguero has undoubtedly sealed his place in the memory of Manchester City supporters as well as the club’s proud history, having scored the unforgettable late goal against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2011-‘12 season that snatched the league title out of the hands of their bitter rivals Manchester United. Since his move to the Etihad in the summer of 2011 Aguero has become the third highest scorer in the club’s history with his 154 strikes.
But Guardiola’s past shows that none of Aguero’s heroics at Manchester City will hold any significance for him it does not feel right for the Catalan.
At his pre-match press conference before the league game against Bournemouth, Guardiola has made clear that he plans to stick with the forward trio of Raheem Sterling, Jesus and Leroy Sane with no place for Aguero in the starting line-up.
The end seems nigh for Aguero
Although the Catalan has stuck with the line that he sees a future for the Argentine at the Etihad, he has admitted the possibility of the forward leaving in the summer.
“At the end of the season I don’t know. I know how difficult it is to find top goalscorers. I would like him to stay but I don’t know what is going to happen. Even in my career I didn’t know what would happen at the end of the season. I was clear every time we spoke with Sergio from the beginning. I know his strengths.”
It is hard to argue against a manager who has won the league title in all but one of his seven full seasons in top flight management as well as two European Cups. But no one would have foreseen a forward of Aguero’s quality fighting for a first team spot at Manchester City and possibly leaving in the summer.