Former City Defender thinks City is better without Haaland but he would want to be quoted for saying it.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards accuses City of sometimes being culpable of attempting to force the ball to star striker Erling Haaland, which is affecting the tempo of the club’s build-up play.
Haaland, City’s goal machine, was rested for City’s FA Cup victory over Chelsea on Sunday evening, which Pep Guardiola’s side won 4-0. The blues progressed in the competition thanks to goals from Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, and Phil Foden. Now they will face either Oxford or Arsenal in the fourth round of the competition.
The Norwegian has made only 22 appearances this season and with it has registered 27 goals and 3 assists. He did train a lot over the world cup tournament and City are keen to carefully manage his minutes in the midst of a busy fixture schedule.
Although he has only been forced to miss two games this season due to injury, a day off on Sunday would have been beneficial. City didn’t have any trouble scoring goals or winning championships before the 22-year-move old’s to the Etihad so a rest could only be in order.
However, Richards has pointed out that his former team must evade forcing things when Haaland is on the field. He believes that the new Manchester City strategy intends to force balls to the Norwegian due to his form and it hinders the game’s build-up and compatibility.
Micah has no doubts about Haaland’s abilities up front, but believes that the city should focus on a successful build-up rather than just trying to get the ball to Haaland. He said:
“Like I said beforehand, when Haaland plays – and I’m not questioning him, he’s been outstanding but they’re too quick to play the ball forward instead of taking their time and wearing the opposition down. I’m not going to be quoted as saying they’re better without him.”
However, pundits have noted that City brought him in to aid in their effort to win the Champions League as well as improve their team’s finishing accuracy. If they are unsuccessful in their attempt to win the Champions League, many supporters, including Pep himself might view it as a total failure.
Haaland’s status for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match against Southampton is still unknown, but given the proximity of the Manchester derby and the city’s packed schedule, it wouldn’t be shocking if he didn’t play.