Gabriel Jesus should replace Sergio Aguero as Manchester City’s main man

Gabriel Jesus should replace Sergio Aguero as Manchester City’s main man up front.

Manchester City’s 5-0 win over West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday wasn’t notable for proving City are still the class of the division.

The champions’ quality is already well-known, and the Citizens should saunter to a third title in a row. So what else is new?

Well, one thing is for sure. The focal point of City’s attack should look a lot different this season, with Gabriel Jesus primed to supplant Sergio Aguero as the main man.

Jesus getting the start ahead of Aguero was a mild surprise, even though Pep Guardiola has rarely been shy about resting the latter when he can.

Even so, something felt different about this decision. Not least because Jesus had a stronger case for being rested.

After all, he helped Brazil win the Copa America this summer, while Aguero and Argentina didn’t make it past the last four. Jesus also started City’s penalty shoot-out win over Liverpool in the FA Community Shield last week.

Nonetheless, Guardiola felt confident enough to trust Jesus over City’s record goalscorer. It was no small gesture in what looked, on paper at least, like a tricky away trip for the title favorites.

Guardiola’s faith was rewarded when Jesus pounced to put City in front in the 25th minute. It was the kind of instinctive, close-range finish that sums up Jesus’ game:

Jesus’ knack for staying alert in the box is just one reason why the time is ripe for him to dethrone Aguero. He’s fast becoming the ultimate closer, the player you can trust to be on the end of City’s many slick and labyrinth-style passing moves.

Movement is the defining feature of what makes Jesus a special striker. Still just 22, he has an innate instinct for following play and knowing where to be.

This level of perception is what City are all about going forward. Jesus’ subtle runs not only put him in the best position to score, they also make him a better complement to his fellow forwards than Aguero.

Raheem Sterling, City’s hat-trick hero against the Hammers, is another player who has matured as a goalscorer thanks to his movement. Sterling’s runs from out to in are among the most threatening in England’s top flight.

Those runs demands spaces through the middle that aren’t always there when Aguero leads the line. The latter is more of a static focal point who dominates the real estate in central areas.

By contrast, Jesus is rarely reticent to vacate the middle. His willingness to peel onto the flanks provides Sterling with the spaces he loves to exploit.

The fruitful combination between Jesus and Sterling was summed up by a goal that wasn’t in the second half:

Sterling’s readiness to gift Jesus a tap-in was contrasted sharply with Aguero, who came off the bench in the 69th minute, taking a penalty away from the former when the winger was on a hat-trick.

City are a more collective force going forward when Jesus is making room for others to share the glory.

It’s easy to sense Guardiola knows the time is fast approaching to give Jesus a leading role. In a summer of not-so small gestures, handing the Brazilian the No. 9 shirt carried the greatest symbolic weight.

Jesus will convert more than his fair share of the tap-ins and close-range opportunities City create for fun every match. What he won’t do is make as many goals for himself as Aguero can, with the senior man still adept at wriggling and powering his way through crowded penalty areas and scoring from absurd angles.

Jesus won’t riff with it as much, but he will follow the same script as those around him. It will mean more of the disciplined and synchronised play Guardiola demands from those leading the line.