Man City fans believe the star’s time is over after a rough game with Atletico Madrid.
Manchester City fans are starting to worry that one of their first-team players might not be quite up to the mark after watching his performance in their 3-1 win against Atletico Madrid.
City played against the La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday, August 9. Coach Enzo Maresca picked a strong team, including Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo, Ruben Dias, and Gianluigi Donnarumma from the start.
The defense was made up of Vitor Reis, Matheus Nunes, and Josko Gvardiol, while Mateo Kovacic and Tijjani Reijnders worked together in midfield. Savinho started on the right wing, even though there are talks about him possibly moving to Spurs.
The first half was quite quiet with few chances. Atletico Madrid scored just before halftime, when Morten Hjulmand’s pass found 16-year-old Jorge Dominguez, who calmly scored to give Atletico the lead.
Even though the game was mostly about fitness and trying new tactics, City fans couldn’t stop talking about Omar Marmoush’s first-half showings. The Egyptian forward struggled to make an impact in the first 45 minutes.
One fan said, “How is Omar Marmoush still in my club, Man City? Please sell him. It feels like we’re playing without a number 9.” Another added, “Take Marmoush off for Mubama. We need to get rid; he brings nothing.” Someone else wrote, “We need to sell Marmoush. He’s hardly noticeable in the box.” Another fan shared, “Marmoush has no good striker movements or positioning. No creativity as a number 10 and no dribbling skills as a winger. We’ve been tricked, honestly.” Someone else pointed out, “Why do managers always play Marmoush as the lone striker? That’s not what he did at Frankfurt. His best games were when he had a free role behind or beside the striker. I’m not making excuses, but it really hurts his game.” Another comment was, “Marmoush has cost City a few goals already. That great run by Savinho should have been finished by a striker—Marmoush. That’s a number 9’s job.”
Marmoush played much better in the second half and scored two quick goals, with Semenyo setting both up. Still, fans are left with big questions about his overall performance.
Of course, once Erling Haaland returns, he’s expected to be the main striker, and Marmoush will probably play a smaller role.
A substitute, Rayan Ait-Nouri, made it 3-1 in stoppage time during the second half.
Next, City heads to Cardiff, Wales, to face Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 16. Then, Maresca’s team kicks off their Premier League season against Bournemouth on August 23.