Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has questioned Erling Haaland’s suitable for Manchester City, but he could still follow in the footsteps of Mohamed Salah.
One of the many painful subplots for Liverpool fans this season is the relative downfall of former rival Manchester City.
Both last season and in 2018/19, City was almost robotic in its consistency as it battled the Reds for the title, amassing a combined 190 points and pipping the Reds by one each time.
It’s only now that Liverpool has fallen off a cliff that City’s standards have slipped, with Pep Guardiola’s side on course to finish with a mere 81 points. It’s an added insult, leaving supporters to rue what might have been.
On Sunday, City lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, and while it didn’t lose any ground on Premier League leader Arsenal, it felt like a major blow.
That’s because it had the opportunity to close the gap to two points (albeit having played a game more) following the Gunners’ defeat at Everton on Saturday, but it couldn’t take it.
But why are City looking so fallible all of a sudden? Could it be because, as explored here, it was the threat of Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool that brought out the best in it?
Or has its headline summer signing backfired?
“They are a different, and lesser, team with [Erling] Haaland in the team,” Jamie Carragher declared on Sky Sports following Sunday’s defeat.
“City have scored the exact number of goals [53] as [this stage] last season… However, they’ve conceded more and are easier to counter-attack against now.”
Carragher went on to explain that, in his eyes, Guardiola’s system only utilizes ’60 per cent’ of Haaland’s potential, and even suggested that ‘he might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him’ when he made the transfer to Manchester.
This seems like a remarkable claim in light of the Norwegian’s extraordinary record this season.
He’s a full eight goals clear of Harry Kane, who scored the winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, at the top of the charts and has already scored enough to win or share the Golden Boot in 15 of the previous 30 Premier League seasons.
As per Football 365, he’s also bettered the best single-season Premier League tallies of competition legends like Fernando Torres, Sadio Mane, Michael Owen, Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Dwight Yorke. He only needs one more to match Sergio Aguero’s all-time high.
Single-handedly, Haaland has out-scored eight of the 19 remaining teams in the division, including Chelsea.
And at his current rate of 1.25 goals per game, he’ll score 22 or 23 more before the season is out, should he feature in each match. That would see him the end season on a scarcely believable haul of 47 or 48 goals.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City could follow Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (Image: Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
In doing so, he would not only surpass but obliterate the record for most goals in a 38-game season (Mohamed Salah’s 32 in 2017/18) and a 42-game season (Alan Shearer’s 34 in 1993/94 and 1994/95).
While all of this would no doubt feel somewhat hollow if City is the victim of a stunning upset at the hands of Arsenal, Haaland would surely have to win the Player of the Year Award.
Despite the brilliance of the Gunners, on track for a 95-point campaign, and the magnificent individual efforts of stars like Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka, the striker’s historic efforts must be recognized.
Indeed, there are clear parallels with Salah’s triumph in 2017/18 ahead of City’s centurions.
That City side is, by the numbers, the greatest the Premier League has ever seen. It set new records for points (100), goals scored (106), wins (32), margin of victory (19 points) and goal difference (+79).
And yet, the history books don’t show a Player of the Year winner alongside it because Salah could not be overlooked.
Liverpool only finished fourth but Salah scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 36 appearances, one of the finest solo campaigns ever in English football.
This year, then, we might well see Haaland follow in its footsteps, even amidst the serious question marks surrounding City’s number nine and the team as a whole.
Man City’s rivals ‘demand Premier League relegation’ after ‘a decade of alleged abuses’
Manchester City are set to undergo an investigation from an independent commission.
An unnamed chief of one of Manchester City’s rivals has called for them to be relegated if they are found guilty of 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches. City have welcomed further investigations into their finances and remain convinced that they will be cleared of the allegations after the Premier League explosively accused them of wrongdoing on Monday.
The Premier League announced on Monday that a four-year investigation into City’s finances has found them guilty of numerous FFP breaches over the course of nine years – when they enjoyed plenty of domestic success – and their findings have been referred to an ‘independent commission’. They are accused of failing to disclose the true salaries of players and managers, the sources of finances and also of not aiding the investigation, amongst other allegations.
City reacted to the news by releasing a statement that read: “Manchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with.
“The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
Pep Guardiola could see his Man City side punished (Image: Getty)
The severity of the punishment that will be imposed on City will be determined by the outcome of the commission’s investigation, though some sides are already looking at potential outcomes. One club chief reportedly told The Sun: “If these charges are proven there must be proper punishment – and the only fitting one is for them to be relegated.
“We’re talking about a decade of alleged abuses and want the Premier League to do the right thing.”
The report adds that City’s rivals are keen to seem them strongly punished if they are found guilty and would want to see them relegated. Clubs are apparently hoping that a verdict will be reached ‘swiftly’ and that City will be punished before the end of the season, though there is no timeframe set for a conclusion to be reached.
Manchester City are accused of not declaring all of Roberto Mancini’s salary (Image: Getty)
The outcome of the investigation can also be appealed by the club and the Premier League, which is likely to lengthen the process further.
Relegation is cited as one of the potential punishments that Pep Guardiola’s side could face in W.51 of the Premier League’s handbook, though there are plenty of other options that could be applied once the commission has investigated. The punishments will need to be proportionate to how many charges the club are found guilty of, with point deductions and fines also options that could be imposed upon the club.
Source: liverpool.com;
