There has been a slight change in the way Manchester City are talking about the Champions League this year. Previously, it has been that they would like to win it. Now, it is that they must win it. Erling Haaland on 39 goals for the season after five during Tuesday night’s demolition of RB Leipzig can only do searingly honest in front of the cameras; his feelings on City in Europe just confirm what everybody thought already yet felt striking all the same.
They have always thought the latter anyway but never said so quite this openly and a fair percentage of Pep Guardiola’s squad have come out with similar lines. Notably, that includes the most level-headed of them all, club captain Ilkay Gundogan. Maybe that is down to the load of near misses or inglorious defeats across Guardiola’s tenure as a redemption drive. Or maybe it is down to the big fella up front.
‘I could easily make headlines with this answer,’ he said. ‘They’ve won four out of the last five Premier League titles. They didn’t bring me in to win the Premier League because they already know how to win it. So, you can read between the lines.’
Real Madrid away in last season’s semi-final and the presentable chances fluffed when cruising at the Bernabeu. Missing a crucial early penalty at Tottenham in 2019 that had a major impact on the eventual away goals elimination. Does he do something out of the ordinary to turn a fairly turgid display against Chelsea in the 2021 Porto final?
Much like his destructiveness inside the box, there was not much subtlety. A great big hole between those lines. ‘I’m here to try to help the club develop even more and to win the Champions League for the first time.’There are certainly games when, looking back, you wonder if Haaland’s inclusion might have seen City already lift the one trophy that eludes them.
Guardiola will never know but their odds are better with the intuitive 22-year-old, that is for sure, and it is the main reason why none of the other seven clubs will fancy them in the quarters. ‘Having a weapon like Erling in this competition is important,’ Guardiola said with relative understate.
The goals impress but there has been a growing feeling around in recent weeks that the link-up has clicked as well. Does Haaland make City worse? Obviously not. Did he ever? Obviously not. But there has been a spell of him getting to know them and vice versa. What became clear on Tuesday, particularly early on, was how he came off the front so regularly. It gave City a fluid impetus from the off.
Haaland expected to score heaps when watching this team without a No 9 last season, looking at the spaces and opportunities, licking his lips in anticipation. John Stones said that ‘I knew he was good but…’ and that is about as close to surprise as you will get. ‘If I had to pick one thing to improve, it is to help the [other] players get better,’ Haaland said. ‘This is something I would love. To put people into better positions, dropping in to put them in better positions.’
‘I’ve missed a lot of chances with my left foot,’ he added. ‘I have to be much better. It’s an easy thing to say but I could’ve scored more goals [this season]. I missed a lot of chances. In my mind, I always have to reach for more and stay hungry.’ If City were to go all the way in Europe and the FA Cup, he potentially has another 19 games on his plate. While scoring around a goal a game, he could hit 60. Improbable, although for him not impossible.
His average position against Leipzig was around 10 yards deeper than at Crystal Palace last weekend. That might not sound a great distance, and will be affected by the opposition’s defensive line, yet heavily impacts how City can build. It also gave him more space to run into when collecting Nathan Ake’s lofted pass, only to spurn the opportunity when clear.
