Olaleye Idowu
Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has claimed that his team would be in more trouble at this moment without Erling Haaland.
Haaland has scored 15 goals for Man City across all competitions so far this season.
But the Norwegian’s scoring rate has slowed in recent weeks as Man City were defeated in all their last five games against Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton Sporting Lisbon and Bournemouth.
The results have left Man City with eight points behind leaders Liverpool on the Premier League table.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Feyenoord, Guardiola was keen to stress that Haaland is not at fault for the Cityzens’ current struggles.
“He finds the target. Sometimes the keeper saves it. The reason is not Erling. Without Erling we would be in more trouble,” Guardiola said.
“Without wingers, we have four or five but just one available. Phil was so productive last season and this season has struggled with some niggles and some injuries.
“After Erling we have John, Josko and Kova as top scorers, that is not normal. We have to survive. We have to create more chances.
“We are lucky that we have Erling. Every game he has three or four chances. One day he will score two or three like he has done since he arrived.
“Tell me one team that would not be dependent on Erling scoring goals. Norway is dependent on Erling as well?”
