- Erling Haaland has rediscovered his form
- Striker has scored in City’s last two league games
- Pep Guardiola explains his improvement
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has explained why he believes Erling Haaland has returned to form at this stage of the season.
After a rocky period, Haaland has bounced back emphatically in recent weeks, with a superb hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup and goals against Arsenal and Burnley.
The Norwegian now has 35 goals and seven assists from his 48 appearances in all competitions so far this campaign.
With the 25-year-old finding form again at just the right time, City boss Guardiola believes he knows what’s made the difference for Haaland lately.
Pep Guardiola says Haaland is flying again now he is fresh
Speaking after Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final win against Southampton, the Catalan coach explained that freshness has bene the biggest factor in Haaland’s recent form.
Guardiola said that the ability to rotate and give his players longer to rest between games has been vital, and allowed the likes of Haaland to perform to their potential.
He said in his post-match press conference: “Erling needed to be fresh. When Omar [Marmoush] was at AFCON, Erling played every three days and his rhythm dropped a little bit.
“The moment he has long weeks and he’s flying again and scoring goals and [getting] assists. That’s because he’s a human being and it’s a lot of games, so we have to manage him in the best way.”
Rotation has been crucial for Pep Guardiola
For teams like City, finding the right balance in terms of squad rotation is a major challenge, especially with so many must-win games at this stage of the campaign.
With no room for error, it can be tempting not to change a winning side. However, failing to allow top stars like Haaland time to rest can be equally damaging.
An injury at this stage is likely to mean the end of any player’s involvement in the title run-in, making it a delicate tight-rope for Guardiola to walk in terms of squad management.
However, at the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, City’s squad players showed they are capable of stepping up and delivering when called upon.
Haaland’s impact could be decisive
There is never a bad time to score goals, but at this stage of the season, they become especially important.
With Arsenal and Man City locked in an extremely close title race, Haaland’s goals could prove doubly important.
As well as winning games, the Norwegian’s scoring ability could significantly boost City’s goal difference, especially if he can repeat his FA Cup hat-trick.
Given the fact that Arsenal and the Cityzens will finish level if neither drops another point until the end of the season, having Haaland in top form may prove the difference come the final day.
