#1 Kyle Walker Confirms Erling Haaland is No Threat to Manchester City’s Success
Kyle Walker defends Erling Haaland
Kyle Walker has defended Erling Haaland, Manchester City forward, following their defeat against Tottenham on Sunday. Haaland, who is currently the top goalscorer in the Premier League, was unable to score a single shot on target and appeared frustrated.
Haaland’s record at Manchester City
Despite Haaland’s impressive record of 31 goals in 28 appearances since his summer move from Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City are currently five points behind leaders Arsenal.
Walker believes that Haaland is still adapting to the unique style of play that Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, demands, and that the criticism is unfair. He stated that whenever Erling scores, he receives no criticism, but when Manchester City does not win, and Erling doesn’t score, suddenly questions are raised about his impact on the team.
Haaland had a fantastic start to life at Manchester City and scored three hat-tricks during the first half of the season. Although he hit another hat-trick against Wolves last month, he has failed to score in five of his last seven matches.
Criticism from Jamie Carragher
Former Liverpool player, Jamie Carragher, has said that Erling may have picked the wrong club, and that City have become a lesser team since his arrival. Despite Haaland’s impressive record, Carragher believes that he has only shown 60% of his capabilities at Manchester City and that he may be more suited to a counter-attacking style of play, which is not Pep Guardiola’s way of playing.
Support from Graeme Souness
On the other hand, Graeme Souness has defended Erling and stated that Guardiola should find a solution to help City control games in the same way they did previously. Souness also said that Haaland is a top striker and that he is surprised that the wide players at City do not play balls into him quicker and more decisively to get the best out of him.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is too early to say whether Erling has made the right choice in joining Manchester City, and it is still a process of adaptation. Despite criticism, Erling has still managed to score an impressive number of goals, and it is up to Manchester City’s manager, players and wider team to help him perform at his best.
Read our next article:
