Manchester City have been criticized for not getting the most out of Erling Haaland after the striker had his quietest game for them.
The 22-year-old drew in the Citizens’ 1-0 loss at Tottenham on Sunday as the visitors failed to close the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Getty
Haaland struggled against Tottenham as he put on a poor showing in north London
And Haaland struggled in north London, with the Norway international an unnamed figure as he received no service from his team-mates.
As well as failing to take a shot in the game – the first time he failed to do so in the league as a City player – he had no touches in the Spurs box.
Moreover, he is yet to score away in 2023.
speaking on sky sports After the match, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher questioned whether Haaland made the right choice by joining City when he left Borussia Dortmund last summer.
And this despite the fact that Haaland has already scored 25 top goals in his first 20 appearances.
Carragher said: “He’s still way ahead in the top scorer chart, but I think we’re only seeing 60 per cent of Erling Haaland.
Haaland failed to add to his 25 Premier League goals against Spurs
“You think about that goal he scored at West Ham in the first game of the season, where there’s just space behind it, he makes that run.
“Now I know it’s not often there because of the way City play, but he comes from a league with Borussia Dortmund where it’s a counter-attacking league.
“It’s through and through and you see this blistering pace he has – we don’t see it. And he may have picked the wrong club to get the best out of him.
“What I’m saying is we don’t see everything from Erling Haaland and Manchester City now, not because of Erling Haaland, we can say it’s a different team.
“But, they have scored exactly the same number of goals, he has 25 goals in the Premier League, but Man City as a team have always scored the same number of goals.
Getty
Haaland failed to register a single shot for the first time in his Premier League career
Getty
The Norway international also didn’t have a single touch in the Spurs penalty area
“But they conceded more and it’s much easier to counter-attack them as well, so it’s a different team – and a lesser team – with Erling Haaland in the squad.
“But again, it’s not his fault. Manchester City as a team won’t play football from start to finish, that’s not Pep Guardiola’s way.
“His players don’t have the energy or the power or the pace to play from start to finish, they progress slowly and they push the opponent to the edge of the box and they play from there.
“And when they lose it, they get it back quickly and they keep people stuck. Now Erling Haaland will still score 25 Premier League goals, a lot of them show up and he got them.
“But we don’t see everything this player can do because of the team he went to.”
Getty
Carragher suggested Haaland in a Guardiola team might not be a good match
City right-back Kyle Walker came to Haaland’s defense after the loss, as he stressed the striker was still adapting to Guardiola’s tactics.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s a process. He came to Manchester City and it’s a difficult team to integrate because the manager demands a lot and the way we play.
“It’s unique. Erling was fantastic. Nobody says anything when they score goals and win.
“All of a sudden now when we’re not winning and he’s not scoring they’re like ‘is that the problem, are we playing better without him?’
“I hear it all the time. But no one is complaining as he scored his 25th goal of the season. This is the team we have until the end of the season. We will fight until at the end. “
City’s loss still leaves them trailing Arsenal by five points following the Gunners’ 1-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday.
Betting offer of the day
Bet365: Bet €10 and get €50 free bets* – CLAIM HERE
CGV: Offer to open an account. Bet €10 and get €50 free bets for new customers at bet365. Minimum deposit requirement. Free bets are paid out as betting credits and can be used when settling qualifying bets. Minimum odds, betting and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude wagering bet credits. Deadlines and terms and conditions apply 18+ Begambleaware.org
