"It is a difficult team to fit in because the manager demands so much" - Manchester City star makes Erling Haaland admission after loss against Spurs
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has defended his teammate Erling Haaland following the Cityzens' 0-1 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (5 February).
Pep Guardiola's side failed to take advantage of Arsenal dropping three points against Everton on Saturday by losing against Spurs. The Cityzen's loss meant that they remained five points behind league leaders Arsenal in the title race.
Erling Haaland had an outing to forget as he failed to register a single shot on target as Manchester City succumbed to a defeat. With many criticizing Erling Haaland for weakening Manchester City as a team following his arrival at the Etihad, Kyle Walker has rubbished such claims.
The England international has claimed that the Norwegian superstar is being targeted unfairly by critics. Walker said, as quoted by The Irish Examiner:
“I think it’s a process. Everyone that has come to Manchester City, I have been here for six years, it is a difficult team to fit in because the manager [Pep Guardiola] demands so much. The way we play is unique but, listen, Erling has been fantastic."
"No one says anything about Erling when he is scoring goals, everyone all of a sudden is now when we don’t win and he doesn’t score are saying, 'Is it a problem or do we play better without Erling?’"
Walker continued:
“I hear it all the time but he has got I think 25 goals already this season. He’s a fantastic player, this is the team we’ve got and the players we’ve got from now until the end of the season so we’re going to fight like we always do.”
Erling Haaland is on course for a 50-goal season in the Premier League 🤯 https://t.co/nJa7ApMoHh
Following his move to the Etihad in the summer from Manchester City, Haaland has already netted 31 goals in 28 games across competitions. The Norwegian has found the back of the net 25 times in 20 Premier League games but has failed to score in five of his last seven games.
Jamie Carragher makes incredible ‘wrong club’ claim on Erling Haaland after Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has opined that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland might have picked the wrong club for himself. The former Liverpool defender has claimed that Guardiola's system fails to bring the most out of the immensely talented goalscorer.
Carragher said on Sky Sports:
“He may have actually picked the wrong club to get the best out of him. You are laughing but we are not seeing everything from Erling Haaland at Manchester City. Not because of Erling Haaland. We can say they are a different team, but they have scored exactly the same amount of goals.
"He has scored 25 Premier League goals but Man City as a team have scored the same amount of goals, but they have conceded more. It’s far easier to counter-attack them as well. They are a different team and a lesser team with Erling Haaland, but again it’s not his fault. Manchester City as a team will not play end-to-end football, it’s not Pep Guardiola’s way.”
Erling Haaland has failed to have a shot in a Premier League game for the first time at Man City.
He didn't have a single touch in the Tottenham box. 😲 https://t.co/i2WC6aVrXL
Carragher has insisted that Erling Haaland is capable of producing a lot more but the Cityzens are unable to play to his strengths. He added:
“His players don’t have the energy, or the power or pace to play end-to-end, they build up slowly and they push the opposition back to the edge of the box and they play from there, when they lose it they win it back quickly. They keep people penned in.”
“Haaland will still score 25 league goals and a lot of those is coming from a cross that you are putting in. But we are not seeing the full package of what this player can do because of the team that he has actually gone to.”