Paul Merson believes Erling Haaland has been playing a lot better this season thanks to the help he has been receiving from one of Man City’s most in-form players.
The Norwegian striker has started the 2025/26 campaign in impressive fashion, scoring seven goals across six games in all competitions, but it is not just that; pundits have also been impressed with Haaland’s defensive contributions, and he seems to have gone up another level.
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The superstar striker is not the only one playing at a high level at present, with Jeremy Doku also enjoying his best spell in a City shirt since signing for the Premier League club in 2022.
Speaking ahead of Man City’s clash with Burnley on Saturday, Merson thinks another player within Pep Guardiola’s squad is going to be crucial to their success this season, and believes the star is the only one who can bring the best out of Haaland.
Paul Merson thinks Phil Foden is crucial for Erling Haaland
Phil Foden ran the show against Huddersfield on Wednesday night, and that was just one of several impressive performances the England international has produced in recent weeks.
The midfielder is expected to start against Burnley on Saturday, and while predicting a 2-0 win for Man City against the Clarets, Merson has also stated that he thinks Foden is going to be crucial to Haaland for the rest of the season.
“This is a nice game for City, and I think they will win. If they held on and beat Arsenal last weekend, another win here would have all of us screaming, ‘City are back’,” Merson told Sportskeeda. “But after how they played at the Emirates, it’s hard to see them being in the top two at the end of the season.
“Phil Foden is very important to Erling Haaland. If Foden does not perform well, I can’t see too many other people in that City team who can give Haaland the ball. So it is crucial for Manchester City and Haaland that Foden returns to playing in the way we all know he can.
“I just don’t see how Burnley can live with City in this game, a comfortable win for the hosts at the Etihad.”
How many times have Erling Haaland and Phil Foden linked up
Haaland and Foden have played together in 120 matches for Man City since the striker moved to the Etihad Stadium in 2022.
Within those games, the duo have combined for a total of 14 goals, with the first coming against Crystal Palace during the 2022/23 campaign and the last taking place against Napoli last week.
Man City average 2.03 points per game when Haaland and Foden are on the pitch together, which shows that it is crucial that Guardiola has the two players at their best for the majority of the current campaign.
