No Haaland, no Man City

Erling Haaland is carrying Manchester City.

At 25, Haaland is approaching the influence that Lionel Messi had at Barcelona or Ronaldo at Real Madrid. Like those two legends, he has the ability to maintain terrible form and rare stability. Man City is no longer simply Pep Guardiola's team, but "Haaland's team".

One person pulls the whole group

Against Bournemouth in round 10 of the Premier League on the evening of November 2, Haaland scored two goals to help Man City win 3-1 and climb to second place, six points behind Arsenal. That's not just three points, but proof of absolute dependence. Of City's 20 goals in the Premier League this season, 11 came from Haaland. Their second-highest scorer in the tournament is... Maxime Esteve, the Burnley defender who scored two own goals in the 1-5 loss at Etihad.

That shows that Man City is living thanks to the Norwegian number 9. The remaining names, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho or Omar Marmoush, have not left their mark. Foden has only scored 1 goal, and Marmoush is struggling with injuries. When Pep Guardiola admitted "Without Haaland, everything will be very difficult", he was not exaggerating.

In previous years, Pep had a multi-point attacking system where De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez and Gundogan could take turns to shine. Now there is no De Bruyne, no Gundogan. The whole team looks in one direction: Haaland.

Against Bournemouth, Haaland only needed two chances, and both were goals.

Against Bournemouth, Haaland needed just two chances, and both scored. Two bursts of speed, two cool finishes. It all happened so quickly that opponents could barely look up. When Nico O'Reilly had a similar situation, he missed. That's the difference between good players and great players: great players don't miss.

The way Haaland scores makes it look easy, but it is actually the pinnacle of instinct and performance. Not only is he faster and stronger, but he also reads the situation better than anyone. When the ball falls into the box, everyone knows what is going to happen, they just don’t know how to stop it.

Haaland is not just a goal machine, he is also a spiritual symbol. Each of his goals is a reminder that Man City is still alive, still ready to chase Arsenal, despite the serious imbalance in the squad. Guardiola can rotate and change the formation, but he cannot replace Haaland.

Worries behind the halo

The question is: can Haaland maintain this pace throughout the season? He has played too many games, from the FIFA Club World Cup to domestic leagues, and has barely had a proper break. The tight schedule, combined with a style of play that relies entirely on physical strength, means the risk of injury is always lurking.

When Haaland was still running, Man City was still dreaming of the throne.

When Haaland left the field in the 82nd minute to rest, it was not just a tactical calculation, but a measure to preserve the life of Man City's entire season. Because Guardiola understood, if Haaland collapsed, the whole team would collapse.

Without De Bruyne to carry the load, there is no “plan B”. This season, Man City is very different from previous seasons, less creative, less unpredictable. Foden has not yet found his 19-goal form from the 2023/24 season, while new players like Savinho or Reijnders are still integrating. All of this makes Haaland Pep’s only hope and biggest obsession.

In comparison, Sir Alex Ferguson's MU relied on Van Persie in the 2012/13 season, but still had Wayne Rooney and Chicharito to share the burden. As for Man City now, all the numbers point in one direction. Haaland scores, Haaland decides the game, Haaland keeps the team's hope alive.

Without him, Man City might be just a mediocre team in this race. But with him, they are still potential champions. The machine is tireless, fearless, and most importantly, unstoppable.

When Haaland is still running, Man City is still dreaming of the throne. And when he stops, Arsenal can breathe a sigh of relief. Because in the Premier League right now, there is only one person capable of carrying an empire - and his name is Erling Haaland.

Source: https://znews.vn/khong-haaland-khong-man-city-post1599460.html