Akanji's importance underlined
Pep Guardiola made six changes to his Manchester City side in Dortmund, with John Stones making his return from injury and Nathan Ake returning to the defence. Even with Ederson in reserve and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva on the bench, it was telling that much of the reaction from supporters was questioning why Manuel Akanji wasn't in the starting line-up.
If that wasn't an indication of his importance to City's defence at present, it was telling that he was called upon at half-time to shore up a defence that had conceded four shots on target in the first 45 minutes. He went to right-back, Stones moved back into the centre, and he immediately calmed the back-four to cement his place as a first-choice starter going forward.
Guardiola makes the big calls
City weren't amazing in the first half, yet it was still a surprise to see Erling Haaland and Joao Cancelo replaced at the break. Not because the moves didn't make sense, because Haaland was being marked out of the game and Cancelo was leaving acres of room on the left as well as collecting a yellow card. Even without feeling unwell as Guardiola revealed afterwards, both would have been strong candidates to be replaced, while Akanji's introduction also ensured Stones could move back into the centre after looking shaky on the right.
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The surprise was because both players are relatively untouchable in this squad owing to Haaland's goals and Cancelo's status as the only fit full-back. Maybe they were both being saved for the fixtures to come, especially if there was a tactical advantage to replacing them. Or maybe this was a reminder from Guardiola that he's not afraid to make big decisions and replace key players who are having poor games.
Mahrez might have surrendered penalty duties
After Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty against Copenhagen, and Haaland almost took the net off against Brighton at the weekend, Pep Guardiola hailed the striker for the importance of taking penalty opportunities, noting that City have missed '23, 24, or 25' penalties since he arrived at the club. Add another to that list.
With Haaland replaced at half-time vs Dortmund, Mahrez was fouled to win City a useful penalty in a disjointed performance, but he couldn't put them ahead as he went for power rather than placement from 12 yards. It was on target, but he gave Gregor Kobel a saving opportunity relatively close to the centre of the goal for his fourth penalty miss of 2022. It might be the last penalty Mahrez takes for a while after Guardiola's comments at the weekend.
Haaland's full-time gesture
All eyes were on Erling Haaland on his return to the Westfalenstadion, but he was concentrating on the task in hand when he arrived at his old home and aside from a brief wave when emerging for the warm-ups there was no attempt from City's number nine to make the occasion about him. Haaland managed to score the winner in the reverse fixture, but Dortmund's three-man backline, led by Mats Hummels, successfully marked him out of the game on Tuesday.
Apart from one blocked shot from the edge of the area, Haaland was ineffective and was replaced at half-time, with Guardiola later confirming the striker had a small fever. After the game, though, he made an effort to smile and joke with his old teammates, congratulating Kobel on his penalty save, joking with Jude Bellingham about his off-night, and he then did his usual lap of the pitch to salute his old supporters. In return, they sang his name, showing there are no hard feelings over his summer exit.
Options aplenty vs Sevilla
As well as City securing top spot and Dortmund following them in second, Sevilla's win over Copenhagen means they can't be knocked out of third-place as they fall into their much more familiar surroundings of the Europa League. That means next week's meeting at the Etihad with Sevilla is a total dead rubber, allowing Guardiola to rest as many players as he wants with little consequence.
It would be remarkable if Haaland played, and it's also a useful chance for the likes of Julian Alvarez and Cole Palmer to get a full game under their belts. Cancelo could also get a much-needed rest, Stefan Ortega should get another start, and there should be plenty of opportunities to limit the minutes of more key players in order to get the most out of them in the next two Premier League games against Leicester and Fulham.
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