Manchester City are a team who definitely do not have a lack of firepower up top, in fact, they are the second-highest scoring side so far in the league, only edged out by Arsenal. However, the blues have looked to have a somewhat lack of clinicalness in their football, and one way that this could be remedied is with the addition of the forward Bremer.
The problem
City have a strong contingent of players who Nick Cushing can rely on for attacking football, but having as large a number as they do can create an issue with team selection. Trying to somehow fit in Ellen White, Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp, Tessa Wullaert, and Pauline Bremer is difficult when you can only field eleven players, and sometimes the option chosen does not seem to be the one which is the best.
Take the example of their game earlier on in the season away at Arsenal, where they lost 1-0 at Meadow Park. Where fine margins come into play, a the fact that only 28.5% of their shots were on target, compared to the gunners' 33%, culminated in their title rivals earning a precious three points against them. This is not something that is irregular for Man City as well, against Chelsea, their opposition reached the target with 3% more of the shots, and again, it ended in defeat - this time 2-1.
This problem is one that is especially prevalent against the stronger sides in the division when Nick Cushing's classic Manchester City football - trademarked by Pep Guardiola's mens team. It relies on keeping the ball, and using strong buildup play, proves to be weaker than the more direct style of their opposition. When up against strikers like Vivianne Miedema and Bethany England, the aim should be to limit the number of shots that your goalkeeper faces, but this was not successful against Chelsea, and Emma Hayes' side had a total of 26 throughout the game, compared to City's 11.
Could Bremer be the solution?
For people who have watched City often this season, it is a mystery as to why the 23-year-old has not featured more often. 14 games in all competitions, 13 goals, 53.2 minutes per goal - those are an incredible set of statistics. However, the reasoning for her needing more gametime comes down to much more than this.
The German is a classic number nine in every sense of the phrase. Contrasting with Ellen White whose game involves a large amount of running between both sides of the box, Bremer is sometimes more static, but uses her strength and stature perfectly to her advantage.
Unlike many of her teammates, one of the main aspects of her game is how she can play on the shoulder of the final defender and consistently out-strength them, and when she latches on to the pinpoint balls provided from the midfield and wings, her finishing is exquisite. City have players who can provide the deliveries needed, and a front two of Ellen White and Pauline Bremer could prove to be an important tool for reaching their title aims.
In the period earlier on in the season where Georgia Stanway and Ellen White were out injured, her attacking prowess shone through, although when they recovered, Cushing did not seem to place his faith in Bremer's abilities. After the winter break, he experimented with allowing her to play against Tottenham Hotspur and was instantly rewarded with two goals within half an hour. With an upcoming match against Everton, it would make good sense for the blues' boss to replicate what he did in the last game.