Manchester City fell to another defeat yesterday, losing 1-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium – and Gary Lineker has theorised why Erling Haaland is struggling a little right now.
City fell to a second straight league defeat in north London.
Pep Guardiola had been hoping for a response to the defeat by Wolves.
But City couldn’t break the Gunners down.
They defended resolutely, and City just couldn’t create the quality of chances they needed to.
In the end, Gabriel Martinelli got the winner for Arsenal.
His deflected strike off Nathan Ake was a tough one to take.
It was another tough day at the office for Haaland – and Lineker has shared why he thinks it isn’t happening for him right now…
Gary Lineker explains why Erling Haaland has stopped scoring for Manchester City
Haaland, branded ‘unbelievable’ by Joachim Andersen last week, has now gone three games without scoring for City.
By his standards, that is something of a mini-drought.
On why the goals seem to have dried up a little, Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I have watched Man City, obviously we all have, and we have marvelled at their brilliant play and their expansive football but he played remarkably narrow in this game.
“There were no wide players and the players who did play either side of Haaland were really narrow, there was no width, and normally when City play they make the pitch long and as wide as they possibly can. It was obviously one of Pep’s little things, let’s crowd midfield and overpower and outnumber them, but it wasn’t the performance we have been used to.”
After the game, Gary Neville stated that Haaland had been ‘anonymous’ in the game.
Pep Guardiola not using Jeremy Doku or Jack Grealish was an interesting call
It was really interesting to see that teamsheet yesterday.
Neither Jeremy Doku nor Jack Grealish started, and Bernardo played as a holding midfielder.
It meant Phil Foden on the left and Julian Alvarez pulling out to the right.
It was little wonder really that Haaland was starved of service.
