The versatility and intelligence of one Manchester City attacker is crucial to their play

As Manchester City picked up a crucial 5-2 win over Crystal Palace at the Etihad the versatility of Pep Guardiola’s side in the final third stood out. We saw James McAtee, Omar Marmoush and Ilkay Gundogan float in between their usual roles and play as a false nine. But watching Omar Marmoush play you can see that his versatility and intelligence in the final third has added to City’s play. It’s becoming a vital weapon for Pep Guardiola’s side and has the potential to be a key ingredient to their play for next season and beyond.

A look at the touch map from Omar Marmoush’s performance yesterday shows that he predominantly played on the left wing. He also drifted centrally at times and his movement caused the Crystal Palace defence issues. That ingredient in his game coupled with his intelligence makes him a valuable weapon for Pep Guardiola’s side. He wasn’t the standout performer in yesterday’s match but he played a vital role for his team.

Omar Marmoush scored his sixth goal since his arrival at Man City in January. Only fellow Egyptian Mo Salah has more goals in the Premier League during that time 🇪🇬

👟 @Oracle pic.twitter.com/2HTbfJu9cy

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 12, 2025

Omar Marmoush is also a goal scorer. That element of his play was clear to see when scored City’s equaliser in the 36th minute. It was a predators finish coming off of a Kevin De Bruyne header back across goal. You couple this goal scoring instinct with his intelligence and movement and you see what a weapon Marmoush already is for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Marmoush with his seventh City goal 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/LaSvg1CYOK

— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 12, 2025

Summary.

What Omar Marmoush adds to the Manchester City lineup is a different type of weapon in the final third. Following Erling Haaland’s injury and the departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid last summer a void had been created in Pep Guardiola’s squad. With his intelligence, movement and finishing ability he is already a key element to the Manchester City lineup. There is the potential for Marmoush to become a key player for the world champions and that’s becoming obvious to see with every performance he makes for Manchester City.