Lee Dixon claimed that Erling Haaland didn’t want to make runs during the FA Cup final.
Speaking 20 minutes into ITV’s live commentary of the final, Dixon had this to say about the striker’s movement in the early stages of the game.
He said: “When Haaland wins the ball back in midfield there he could have played it back and moved, but he’s not bothered about that.
“He could have carried on there, but he just wants to lay it off and run into the centre-forward position, he’s not bothered about running the channels or anything like that.”
Having completed the full 90 minutes in the match at Wembley Stadium, the striker had 35 touches of the ball in total, successfully completing 10 of the 16 passes he attempted.
Despite him not managing to score in this game and despite Dixon’s comments about his lack of defence splitting runs, the 22-year-old still played a big part in seeing his side win the game, particularly towards the end of the game with some crucial defensive work and his hold-up play making sure City kept possession.
In fact, there was a period where the attacker won the ball in United’s half and instead of heading towards David De Gea’s goal to score, he took the ball to the corner flag to try and keep the opposition as far away from City’s goal as possible.
Also, with the Haaland, who City signed for £51m last summer, has found the net 52 times in 52 appearances this season, his lack of penetrating runs in the first half, according to Dixon, will probably not be too much of a problem for many City supporters.
With the Norwegian having one game left to play in his debut season at the Manchester club, the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul, this will be his final opportunity to increase his already impressive goals tally for the season and potentially secure the treble for City.
