30 goals for the campaign and with 11 in your past
11 appearances would normally mean unfettered
acclaim for a player at the peak of his powers.
But, as he prepares to lead the attack against
Arsenal, Manchester City's talisman Sergio Aguero
must surely reflect that this has not been a normal
season.
The 28-year-old flew out of the blocks with 11
goals in his first six appearances, concluding a
phenomenal hot streak with a brace in a 3-1 win at
Swansea City.
Given the opportunity after that match to lavish
praise upon the player who had done so much to
smooth his introduction into English football, City
boss Pep Guardiola offered a curious response.
"I am so happy for him. But I think he can play
better and I will try to tell him," he said.
"He has great ability and in the box, there is
nothing I can do to help him there. But maybe I can
help him develop, like keeping the ball and helping
the rest of the team."
A pattern of qualified praise for Aguero was
established and, while Guardiola is always sure to
criticise his attacking collective for missing
chances, the manager's most well-worn complaint
has rarely reflected well upon his starting centre
forward.
Of course, after nine goals in the five months after
that Swansea game, he lost this status to Gabriel
Jesus.
The Brazilian protege netted three times in his first
two Premier League starts and won instant praise
from Guardiola for his pressing and selfless work
for the team – again, something that felt like
implicit scrutiny of the man benched at Jesus'
expense.
Guardiola became noticeably irritated as Aguero's
future cropped up constantly at media briefings,
although a sense of matters hurtling to a head
quelled when Jesus broke a metatarsal away at
Bournemouth in February.
Evidently second choice by this stage, City's top
scorer grasped the opportunity and refused to sulk.
A brace against Huddersfield Town in an FA Cup
fifth-round replay followed a double versus
Monaco and prompted Guardiola to praise Aguero's
finest all-round display of his tenure. The penny
was dropping.
Speculation persists over City's reported interest in
Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez and Jesus is in the
running to be among the substitutes at Wembley,
regrettably timing his resurrection for one week
after Easter Sunday.
But, facing these apparent threats to his immediate
future, Aguero cuts an altogether more assured
character than the one twice banned for violent
conduct before Christmas. A certain
"Guardiolafication" seems to have occurred.
Joe Hart and Frank Lampard have separately
remarked upon Aguero's nonchalant approach to
training during previous seasons but he is evidently
working harder than ever before on the pitch.
According to Opta data, the striker has covered an
average of 10.06 kilometres per game in the
Premier League, up sharply from 8.91km last
season and 9.09km in 2014-15. He completes 61
sprints per match, again a dramatic increase on
the 44 averaged last time around.
On both these metrics, he outstrips the allegedly
more Pep-friendly Sanchez, whose 57 sprints
average is consistent with last season and lower
than 2014-15, while the Chile star is down to
9.06km in terms of average distance covered over
90 minutes.
Aguero's increased workload might be a reason for
a dwindling shot conversion rate of 14.91 per cent,
the second lowest across his six seasons in
England, but his goal haul remains impressively
ample and his manager's words are much warmer.
"Now he's involved in the game, doing all he can
do. There's no complaints [over] what he's done
after the injury to Gabriel Jesus," Guardiola beamed
after his man headed home Kevin De Bruyne's
cross in the 3-0 win over Southampton last
Saturday.
His unforgettable title-winning goal versus QPR in
2012 means Aguero has a permanent and lofty
place in Manchester City history. Against Arsenal,
he can demonstrate his part in their future under
Guardiola has been severely undersold.
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