Pep Guardiola is counting on defender Erling Haaland after the forward took the blame for Manchester City’s dismal run of form.
The Norwegian striker again failed to score in City’s defeat against Aston Villa, meaning he has only scored three goals in his last 12 Premier League games.
He has played the full 90 minutes in all but one game during City’s dismal run in which they have only won one game in 12, losing nine of them.
Guardiola defended his striker after their sixth league defeat of the season and stated that without Haaland his team would be “even worse.”
And Guardiola doubled down on his comments on Christmas Eve, trying not to single out the forward in what has been his worst period in charge of the Champions League.
“It’s about us, not just one player,” Guardiola said. “When we scored goals in the past and Erling was so prolific in helping us, it was thanks to the team.
Pep Guardiola (right) has jumped to Erling Haaland’s defense following his recent poor form
Haaland has only scored three goals in 12 league games and did not score again for Aston Villa.
Manchester City’s defeat at Villa Park adds nine defeats in their last 12 games in all competitions.
“When you have problems at the back, in the middle, it’s for everyone, it’s a team, it’s not about one player. It would be easy, if it were just one player, the reason. It’s not about that.
‘Erling is very important to us and will be very important to us. (We have to) try to do things better, use it better.”
Haaland has scored 108 goals in 122 games since joining City in 2022, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in his first two seasons.
However, the Norwegian’s goal drought has seen him fall two goals behind Mohamed Salah in the league’s scoring charts this season.
While most of City’s stars have been struggling since early November, Haaland quickly took most of the blame following his team’s defeat at Villa Park.
“It affects us all, of course,” Haaland said Saturday. ‘It affects me. I haven’t been good enough and I haven’t delivered for City this season.
‘I need to step up and work harder, I just need to improve. It’s just not good enough. I will do everything I can to do better.
“We can’t win games anymore, we can’t control games like before. We used to control games much more.
Haaland’s bad streak has made him surpass Mohamed Salah in the scoring table
City have lost six of their last eight Premier League games, leaving them seventh in the table.
Guardiola will hope to find his mojo again when they play Everton on Boxing Day.
“In the decisive moments I fail to score, in the decisive moments we concede goals. The margins are small and that’s how it is, I will do everything I can to reverse this.”
City will be looking to end their poor run of form when they take on Everton on Boxing Day, and Guardiola is hopeful his team can rediscover the charm that has led them to a multitude of successes since he walked through the door in 2016.
“In this situation, this tendency of all of us (to say) ‘the reason is this, and this and this’. It’s about us, about all of us,” Guardiola added.
‘The boys are running, trying harder than ever. The whole trend “is because we don’t run, because we don’t fight, the reason is this situation or this player or this coach.” It’s not about that.
‘There are many small details or big details that make everything together not as good as we were. But we have another chance on Boxing Day.”