Pep Guardiola says Manchester City have the “energy” to challenge for the Premier League title with Erling Haaland at “Messi levels”.
Man City are up to second, six points behind leaders Arsenal, after earning their fourth win in five league games by beating Bournemouth 3-1 on Sunday.
Guardiola’s side finished 13 points behind champions Liverpool last season, but he has a different feeling about his team’s chances this time.
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“Hopefully Arsenal will concede a goal one day,” he said when asked about Man City’s title credentials. “The energy we didn’t have, we have. I had the feeling since the Club World Cup that we were in the moment.
“It’s just 10 games, still 28 to play, many things are going to happen. It’s important to be close and feel that the team is better and better.”
Haaland struck twice against Bournemouth to take his tally to 13 already for the season, but there is a concern that Man City’s next highest scorer has only scored one.
Guardiola, though, believes Haaland is rivalling the world’s best. He said: “The last game we played without him against Swansea and scored three goals.
“It’s like when you play with Messi or Ronaldo, their influence is so big. Of course, we need the goals from Phil [Foden] Tijjani [Reijnders] and the other ones, who had the chances.
“You see the numbers of that guy (Haaland)? Of course he’s that level.
“The difference is Messi and Ronaldo have done it for 15 years, but this is the level. The first goal, the way he shoots the ball, it’s like ‘I am going to score’.
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Erling Haaland jokes that Fantasy Football managers will not be happy that he was subbed off when on hat-trick but says he was fine with Pep Guardiola’s decision.
“He has that hunger. It’s top. I’ve said many times how incredibly coachable and manageable he is.
“I am tough sometimes with him, but he is open-minded. He lives for the goals and sometimes the pressure cannot sustain 90 minutes, but that’s normal.
“Without him it would be tough to be honest, but we are lucky that Omar (Marmoush) is back, and we have fit players, it’s good.”
Is City’s reliance on Erling Haaland a problem?
Sky Sports’ Ron Walker:
Of the 20 goals Man City have scored this season, 13 have come from the boots or head of Erling Haaland.
Discounting Maxime Esteve’s own-goal brace in the win over Burnley in September, only five goals have been contributed by Haaland’s team-mates.
One of those was Nico O’Reilly’s composed finish in Sunday’s win over Bournemouth; the first goal in eight not scored by their Norwegian talisman.
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Is it a problem? Man City are the league’s top scorers, are second in the league and have lost only once since August. Haaland himself says he is in the form of his life, and scoring 26 goals for club and country by the first weekend in November is an astonishing record by anyone’s measurement. By those metrics, keep it up Erling.
But as former City goalkeeper Shay Given pointed out on Super Sunday, this can only work so long as Haaland stays fit.
Omar Marmoush is a very capable deputy and Rayan Cherki showed signs of contributing goals and assists in his best performance yet against Bournemouth.
But you would not back anyone in this City team to show the ruthless composure of their star forward, without whom that win over Bournemouth could’ve panned out very differently.
That’s a bridge Pep Guardiola must cross if and when Haaland does not feature. For now, to badly paraphrase Rio Ferdinand, just enjoy him.
Christensen: Haaland a phenomenon
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The Super Sunday panel discuss Manchester City’s reliance on Erling Haaland following the striker’s incredible goal-scoring form.
Sky Sports’ Izzy Christensen on Super Sunday discussing Erling Haaland:
“He delivers performances that are unstoppable. He’s a phenomenon.
“His physicality, he’s got the ability to drop deep and protect the ball, run in behind – he’s the perfect No 9.
“People say he doesn’t do much off the ball, he just scores goals, but what he does do is distracts players with his sheer presence on the pitch then he comes alive.
“He showed again today why he’s one of the best in the world.”
Given: Haaland has aspirations of being world’s best
Shay Given on Super Sunday discussing Erling Haaland:
“He has aspirations of being the best striker in Premier League history, the best player in Norwegian history, the best player in the world – that’s the history he wants to make.
“You see his work off the pitch, he’s the ultimate professional. He’s probably in the dressing room now prepping for the next game.”