Man City eased past Copenhagen with a 1-3 victory. The result was expected, but what surprised everyone was Erling Haaland. The striker went goalless, a hard-to-believe fact considering that Guardiola had raved about his goalscoring ability saying, “Not even Messi or Ronaldo had these numbers at his age.” However, pundits believe that the manager’s tactics played a part in the striker’s sub-par display. Let’s see what they have to say.

Ale Moreno on the ESPN FC Show reckons Man City did not use Erling Haaland in the best possible way. He explained what makes Haaland a deadly proposition for defenders. “Erling Haaland essentially tells the defender, get off me, hit the weight room. You can’t stay with me, you can’t stay with this physicality, with this strength, with this speed”, said Moreno. He also stated that the Norwegian makes multiple threatening runs in a match. However, this is where he feels Man City is not playing to the lethal striker’s strengths.

The pundit explained how his teammates react to his runs, “No, I’m not going to give it to him. I’m gonna go sideways.” He further reveals what makes Haaland frustrated. Moreno adds that Haaland, in spite of winning the duels & challenges and with his reputation for scoring goals, does not receive the crucial pass from his teammates. He said, “Sometimes I think can be frustrating not only for Erling Haaland, it’s frustrating for me watching it because I am seeing the move of the striker and yet they don’t use him properly.”

Despite the criticism surrounding Man City’s usage of Haaland, the Norwegian has still been an immense goalscorer with 73 goals for the Sky Blues already. However, Pep Guardiola & Co. wants more from their no 9. And this was perfectly explained by Bernardo Silva.

Man City is ‘trying to involve’ Erling Haaland more per Bernardo Silva

The 23-year-old striker is an instinctive finisher. However, Man City is not a direct-approach team and this could explain why there is frustration regarding Haaland’s performances. However, star midfielder Bernardo Silva has stated that a solution is already in the works. Silva said, “It’s trying to involve him as much as we can in the game because I know he’s a player who doesn’t need to touch the ball very often.”

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The Portuguese midfielder added, “In reality, the more involved he is, the more confidence he has so that, at the right moments, he can put the ball in the net.” Looks like Pep Guardiola wants Haaland to add playmaking to his skillset and improve his all-round game.

Regardless, does Man City suit Erling Haaland’s style of play? Tell us in the comments below.

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