Poor Erling Haaland Record Sparks ‘Lackadaisical’ Criticism On Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City

Erling Haaland‘s form is seesawing since he resumed action with Manchester City after recovering from an ankle injury. In certain games, he is City’s sole goal scorer but misfires in the next. The club’s recent 1-0 win against Bournemouth is an example of Haaland’s struggles. He failed to find the net after having four obvious chances in front of the goal. However, the Norwegian is just a part of the problem. All of Pep Guardiola‘s men are struggling to score, with three goals in three matches after a whopping 71 attempts. This forgettable display from the defending champions gave way to a bashing from soccer pundits.

Manchester City put up this sloppy display shortly after Guardiola pointed out it was paramount for them to score more goals. In terms of goal difference, City lags behind Liverpool and Arsenal, risking themselves in the title race.

Amid Erling Haaland’s tainted record, an analyst says Manchester City’s scoring has deteriorated

Manchester City’s struggling win against Bournemouth was a talking point on ESPN. Former player and Co-host Craig Burley was quick to condemn the fall in Erling Haaland and Co.’s attacking prowess. “They’re giving up a lot more chances this season than certainly they were last. It’s almost like they are lackadaisical when they are attacking with all this possession,” said Craig Burley. Haaland set a rather unforgettable stat after misfiring against Bournemouth. He scored only once in the last 3 matches, despite taking 20 shots!

While Burley criticized the plummet in the Sky Blues’ scoring, Steve Nicol critiqued their defense. “You have to be able to defend in the middle of the park. And Manchester City completely disappeared in the last half of the game. You don’t win the Premier League title if you’re going to do that away from home,” Nicol said. The Cityzens’ forgettable show came at a night when Guardiola urged and expected them to create more chances and concede less.

Cityzens completely fail to adhere to Pep Guardiola’s strategy

In an interview before the Bournemouth game, Pep Guardiola hinted it was alarming for his team to not score enough goals, despite having a plethora of chances. “We have to score more,” he said. But what unfolded was the exact opposite. Manchester only converted one out of their 15 attempts, thanks to Phil Foden. Besides, Guardiola also urged his team to defend well and deny as many chances to the opponent. Did they do that?

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola Accused of Misusing Erling Haaland by His Former Coach

No, they failed there as well. If City had 15 chances, Bournemouth had 13. A classic case of sloppy defense being a villain. Speaking of the club’s boss again, he stressed that the title race could come down to the goal difference between teams. If the Sky Blues continue this southward journey, it is quite dubious if they will defend their league title for a 4th consecutive season.

READ MORE: Eden Hazard Fancies a ‘Free’ Kevin De Bruyne Over Erling Haaland & Kylian Mbappe- ‘Best Player in the Word’