Pep Guardiola Defends Erling Haaland Amid Manchester City Woes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged the importance of Erling Haaland to his team, especially during a challenging spell at the club.

Erling Haaland has made a significant impact this season, netting 15 goals across all competitions.

However, his scoring form has dropped in recent games, coinciding with the team’s struggles, having lost their last five matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton, Sporting Lisbon, and Bournemouth. These results have positioned City eight points behind the Premier League leaders, Liverpool.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League match against Feyenoord, Guardiola emphasized that Haaland should not shoulder the blame for the team’s difficulties.

“Erling consistently finds the target; at times, the goalkeeper makes the saves. The situation is not solely due to him. Without Erling, we would face even greater challenges,” Guardiola stated.

Pep Guardiola elaborated on the team’s broader issues, saying, “We have several wingers, yet only one is currently available. Phil was highly productive last season but has had to deal with injuries this year. After Erling, our next top scorers are John, Josko, and Kova, which is not typical for us. We need to find ways to create more goal-scoring opportunities.”

Guardiola remains optimistic about Haaland’s potential to return to his scoring form: “We are fortunate to have Erling; he consistently gets three or four opportunities each game. It’s only a matter of time before he scores two or three goals, as he has done previously.”

He also pointed out that it’s common for teams to rely on key players for goals, adding, “Name any team that wouldn’t depend on a top scorer like Erling. Even the Norwegian national team looks to him for goals.”