Guardiola Shows Negative Results Of Manchester City Because Haaland Doesn't Appear

Erling Haaland still cannot be predicted when he will return to play for Manchester City (Instagram/@mancity).

JAKARTA - Manchester City suffered two consecutive defeats in all competitions since Erling Haaland was absent.

The Norwegian only sat on the bench when The Citizens lost 1-3 to the second leg of the knockout stages of the Champions League against Real Madrid, February 20, 2025.

The 24-year-old forward was not even included in Pep Guardiola's squad when Manchester City was defeated by Liverpool at the Etihad in the 26th week of the Premier League, Sunday, February 23, 2025.

Haaland reportedly suffered a knee injury when The Citizens won 4-0 over Newcastle United in the Premier League on February 15, 2025.

At the first moment of the season he captained the league, Haaland had to leave in the 88th minute.

This condition also gave birth to a lot of speculation that Manchester City could not win without Haaland's presence. However, Pep Guardiola immediately denied this issue.

"I don't know. I'm not saying we didn't get (positive) results because Erling wasn't there."

"It's not fair to other players. We can finish it better, but overall the results are fine," Guardiola said after the match against Liverpool.

Guardiola is still not sure when the Norwegian will return. He said he was still monitoring the progress of the striker.

Meanwhile, Manchester City will face Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, February 27, 2025, early morning WIB.

All Premier League matches are now very important for Guardiola who have been eliminated in domestic and continental tournaments.

He emphasized that his focus was on bringing Manchester City to finish in the top four of the Premier League for tickets to the Champions League next season.

Therefore, the visit to Spurs must lead to three points to maintain that hope.