MY ACCOUNT
Erling Haaland “will have a break”, Pep Guardiola assured the media after his Manchester derby heroics. Just not yet, it seems.
Concerns around the amount of football Haaland has played since signing for Manchester City are understandable.
Heading into this week’s Champions League matches, team-mate Joao Cancelo was the sole outfield player in the Premier League to play more minutes than Haaland across all competitions this season.
Cancelo and Haaland are two of three players – the other being goalkeeper Ederson – to start every City match. Named in the line-up once more against Copenhagen on Wednesday, Haaland made his 12th start in City colours; his 12th of last season, playing at Borussia Dortmund, did not come until December.
Indeed, Haaland had already sustained a thigh injury this time a year ago, and only returned briefly before another lay-off with a hip problem.
Guardiola is well aware of those issues, though, describing City as “lucky” to have “incredible physios”.
“Last season, he could not play many games,” the City manager said after the 6-3 win over Manchester United. “He was injured all the time.”
He added: “Dortmund couldn’t do it [keep Haaland fit], and we can do it. That is fantastic for us. That is why I thank them [the medical staff].”
And if there is no immediate risk of injury, of course Guardiola wants to keep sending his superstar striker out to put opponents to the sword.
After two goals in the 5-0 defeat of Copenhagen, Haaland has 19 in those 12 matches. Riyad Mahrez (24) was the only City player to score more in all competitions in the entirety of last season.
City already possessed the best team in England, blessed with a vast array of supreme talents, but Haaland is now the undoubted star of the show.
Ahead of kick-off on Wednesday, his goals in the warm-up were cheered louder than any other player’s, as was his name as the line-ups were announced.
It was with some inevitability then that Haaland’s first touch following kick-off was the opener, steered past Kamil Grabara, who wisely didn’t bother to move.
“Who else?” asked the Etihad Stadium’s public announcer, as if the role of confirming the goalscorer was even needed.
Haaland spoke last month of his “dream” to score five goals from just five touches – an ambition that does not tally with Guardiola’s outlook on the game, as he replied on Sunday: “I don’t like that. I want him involved. He can touch the ball many more times.”
But Haaland remained as efficient as ever, his second touch a pass to the outstanding Jack Grealish, who in turn found Bernardo Silva for a shot that struck the post.
That was one of only three passes Haaland made in the first half, yet he was involved in everything, attempting four shots.
Perhaps the loudest roar of the night from the Copenhagen fans followed a tackle that robbed Haaland of the ball on halfway. It provided only momentary cheer, though, as the City number nine tapped in a simple second soon enough.
The only way the overmatched visitors could prevent Haaland scoring yet another hat-trick was by themselves prodding beyond Grabara – Davit Khocholava turning in an own goal for the third with Haaland waiting right behind him.
If Guardiola had no sympathy for Copenhagen when he removed Haaland at the break – assuming his words had not cursed the forward with an injury – perhaps he was thinking of poor Julian Alvarez.
The Argentina international’s second City start had been overshadowed by Haaland just as his first had, when Alvarez scored two against Nottingham Forest but his team-mate netted three.
There were glimpses of a partnership forming as Haaland’s pressing led to a chance from which Alvarez could not get a shot away, but in 235 minutes on the pitch together across seven matches, they have traded just four passes and are yet to combine for a goal – Haaland creating a single chance for Alvarez.
Alvarez is much more like the type of forward City fans have been used to watching under Guardiola – diminutive and busy, but not as clinical as Haaland. Admittedly, few, if any, are.
A second-half penalty was dispatched by Mahrez, with Alvarez watching on when Haaland surely would have snatched the ball for his hat-trick, while the former River Plate man later became the second City player to hit the post from a Grealish pass.
Finally, after another wonderful Grealish run and then a cutback from Mahrez, Alvarez converted the fifth when he simply could not miss in front of an open goal – reward at the end of a slightly frustrating night, if such a thing exists in a 5-0 victory.
Regardless, unless Haaland’s injury woes are gone for good, Alvarez will get further chances in the coming months.
But for now, fear for Southampton, who face Haaland on Saturday coming off a 45-minute rest – his longest of the season.
