Manchester City Must Use Erling Haaland More To Improve Performance

Erling Haaland decreased with the difficult period experienced by Manchester City (Instagram/@erling).

JAKARTA - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola defended star striker Erling Haaland and said the team should make better use of it to help improve the decline in performance.

Although Haaland is still in second place on the Premier League goalscorer list with 13 goals this season, he has only scored four goals in his last 13 games.

The decline in the 24-year-old's performance coincided with the difficult period experienced by The Citizens.

Guardiola's team slumped to seventh in the 2024/2025 Premier League standings with one win in their last eight matches.

However, the manager defended Haaland on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, saying they should make better use of it to get the team back on track.

"It's about us, not just about one player playing. When Erling is so productive, it's about us, the team," Guardiola told a news conference ahead of Manchester City's match against Everton on Boxing Day.

"Erling is very important to us and will remain important to us. We need to make better use of it."

"The reason is about us, about everyone. The players are running faster than ever. There are a lot of small details and big details that make us not as good as before," said Guardiola again.

Manchester City trains on Tuesday and evening on Christmas (December 25, 2024).

Meanwhile, Ederson, Matheus Nunes, and John Stones are all in doubt for the match against Everton.