Coach Pep Guardiola was questioned about striker Erling Haaland’s form in recent times.
Haaland squandered the opportunity against Nottingham Forest.
Haaland has excelled in the Premier League after moving to Man City from Dortmund last summer. The Norwegian striker scored 26 goals in only 23 matches and is leading the list of top scorers.
However, Haaland is in bad form when it has only scored 1 goal in the last 6 matches in all competitions and has shown disappointment in recent times. The 22-year-old was even angry because he was “hungry for the ball” in the last third of the field in Man City’s 1-1 draw with Leipzig in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 in midweek.
Many people have questioned Haaland’s lack of touch in each of Man City’s matches, but coach Pep Guardiola has defended the Norwegian striker. He disagreed with taking the number of touches in each match as a measure to analyze the student’s performance. Instead, he said it was the fault of the surrounding satellites for not doing a good job of providing the ball for Man City’s main striker.
The Spaniard said: “It was our fault. Haaland played well all season. I don’t need to look at the stats. When the game was over after 1 second, I was able to tell if he had any problems. I don’t need numbers or measures. That depends on us. We need to give him the ball a little more.
In the match against Leipzig, it is true that Haaland did not touch the ball enough, but in the matches against Forest and Arsenal, he did not. Don’t make one game a big deal. Haaland had chances in the first half as well as in the second half against Leipzig. The striker is the most difficult position, the striker has to face two central defenders and with Haaland it is even more.
We had a hard time against Leipzig. The players should have been more supportive of Haaland. If Haaland feels down then that’s normal, I’m disappointed too, I’m sure you all feel frustrated in your life sometimes.”
Kevin De Bruyne is currently the man with the most assists for Haaland with six so far this season, more than any other Man City player. The Belgian midfielder could not participate in Man City’s draw with Leipzig in the middle of the week because of illness.
Coach Pep Guardiola said that De Bruyne has returned to training. The 31-year-old player is likely to return to the main squad when Man City come to Bournemouth as a guest at Vitality Stadium in the 25th round of the Premier League taking place.
