When Michail Antonio was forced off against Manchester City, David Moyes opted to bring on Andriy Yarmolenko instead of Sebastien Haller, with Jarrod Bowen going up as the main striker.
Despite the Frenchman eventually getting onto the pitch in the 69th minute, when he replaced Bowen, the fact he wasn’t trusted to come on at the earlier stage is telling.
Moyes has been wary of giving the striker much game time in the Premier League so far, as he has managed just 50 minutes across five substitute appearances this term.
While he managed to nod home a late goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers, his showing in the 1-1 draw against Manchester City shows why Moyes needs Antonio to remain fit.
In fairness, Haller did manage to win all three of the aerial duels that he competed in, though that should be expected given he was often up against the far smaller Eric Garcia.
What should Moyes do with Haller against Liverpool?
Start him
Leave him out
Outside of that, he really didn’t offer much at all. Looking at the Frenchman’s statistics, he didn’t manage a single shot, dribble or key pass, indicating how little of a threat he posed.
In truth, he wasn’t helped by the fact that Yarmolenko wasn’t getting crosses into the box, but this performance showed just how reliant he is on chances being given to him, whereas Antonio is able to move around much more and make things happen for himself.
Haller was frustrating to watch, as he looked flat-footed and even disinterested at times, failing to really do anything unless the ball was sent straight to him.
The Frenchman’s lack of mobility and the way that he can be invisible in games could prove to be a real problem for Moyes if he is relied upon.
