Pep Guardiola has backed Erling Haaland to rediscover his goalscoring form after another poor performance in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Saturday.
The Cityzens lost ground in the title race as they were held at the London Stadium by a struggling Hammers side, dropping to nine points behind Arsenal with a game in hand.
Their struggles was epitomized by the poor form of striker Haaland, whose goal drought extended to three games in the Premier League.
The Norwegian was also poor against Real Madrid in midweek, with City losing that encounter 3-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola admitted that City have missed the impact of their striker, but is confident of improvement in their upcoming matches.
“The lack of goals, we miss him of course. I always believe it’s the connections and many things create the good interactions. But Erling, we need his goals”, Guardiola stated.
“We need to create more, like in the [first half] he has three chances there. We have to create that threat that sometimes we didn’t have.”
Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw at West Ham United on Saturday night, dashing their hopes of reclaiming the Premier League title.
Arsenal’s win over Everton earlier in the day now puts the Gunners nine points clear at the top, although City have a game in hand.
Both sides will also meet next weekend in the final of the EFL Cup at Wembley, with the chance to win the first silverware of the season on the line.
“He will be back”, Guardiola concluded.
Meanwhile, Man City will turn their attention to the Champions League in midweek, as they hope to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg against Real Madrid.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
