Erling Haaland is savaged: Pep Guardiola responds to Man City humiliation
Erling Haaland has been defended by Man City manager Pep Guardiola after his penalty miss against Everton following extensive criticism from supporters.
The previously prolific striker has endured a tough run of form recently, finding the net just once in the last seven games in all competitions.
He also missed a huge chance to improve that record in the 1-1 draw with Everton on Boxing Day, missing a penalty in that match before being flagged offside after heading in on the rebound.
That also contributed to extending the dismal run of form Man City are enduring at the minute, with the reigning Premier League champions winning just one of their last 13 games in total.
Despite that, Haaland still retains the backing of his manager, who insists incidents such as the penalty miss are a part of the game.
Speaking about his striker’s miss from the spot kick, Guardiola was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying:
“I don’t have it in my education to start complaining, to point at people. It’s happened, it’s life, it’s football, so let’s try it again.
“That’s why all the time we have had success, because always it is never enough. We will try it again and again and again. That’s why we won a lot of titles.
“Every three days it was a game and win, win, win for many, many years. Now we have to do the same and the results are not good.”
Man City need Erling Haaland back on form as soon as possible
Football Insider Verdict:
There have been plenty of problems for the Premier League champions this season in the form of a string of injury issues.
Absences of the likes of Rodri, John Stones and Ruben Dias have not helped Man City during the recent struggles they have endured.
They will therefore have been looking to other key members of their team to stand up and be counted to help them overcome those struggles.
A lack of goals from Haaland though has made it harder for them to do that, especially given that having sold Julian Alvarez in the summer, they are lacking in other centre-forward options to turn to.
Man City therefore desperately need Haaland to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to have the best possible chance of getting their campaign back on track.
There is absolutely no doubt he can do that as his previous record shows, but the longer it takes for him to do that, the more pressure there will be on him, and the harder it might become to find the net again.
In other news, Man City have been tipped to complete a “surprise” deal in January.
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