Erling Haaland is no longer the focal point of Manchester City’s attack because of the scary transformation of his teammates.
Erling Haaland’s influence, coverage and incredible scoring ability help him join the group of most notable stars at Manchester City alongside Jack Grealish or Kevin de Bruyne. 8 goals and 2 assists after 11 matches in all competitions this season show Haaland’s ability to contribute greatly to the parent club.
However, many people are not really satisfied with Haaland because in important moments, the player born in 2000 is completely missing. Haaland this season is not showing that he is the type of star who changes the game for Man City, something Julian Alvarez is doing very well at the moment.
The win against Leipzig is an example. The 2022 World Cup champion played only 11 minutes but contributed 1 goal and 1 assist. Alvarez’s goal removed the bottleneck for Man City. Having difficulty facing the tight defense from Leipzig, even though he was not in a favorable position, the Argentine striker still found the net thanks to a classy curling shot.
Leipzig was forced to rush to equalize after Alvarez’s moment of difference. The inevitable consequence was a loose back line, leading to the player born in 2000 assisting Jeremy Doku to put his name on the scoreboard after a counterattack.
This is not the first time this season that the 23-year-old striker has become a hero at a time when Man City is in trouble. Against Red Star Belgrade on the opening day of the 2023/24 Champions League, Alvarez scored a double goal to help Man City complete a 3-1 comeback.
Returning to the Premier League, the Tango assassin was the only scorer to lead Man City to a 1-0 victory against Newcastle United at the Etihad. In addition, number 19 also assisted twice in the 3-1 win over West Ham United.
The series of contributions to Alvarez’s goals are very important. All of the above matches came at a time when Man City was drawing or being surpassed by their opponents. It was very different from the period when Haaland scored right in the context of the home team at Etihad Stadium having the comfort of defending points compared to the other team.
Haaland scored against West Ham, but he was only the winner after Alvarez had a double assist to help the defending Premier League champions gain the advantage. Or in the win over Nottingham Forest, Haaland only entered his name on the electronic board after witnessing Foden untying the knot
Alvarez currently has 6 goals and 5 assists despite only playing 12 matches in all competitions this season. He not only ensures the number of goals for the host club but also knows how to bring in quality goals. It’s quality from the way Alvarez ended the situation to helping Man City overcome difficulties against those in the way.
Just as Foden affirmed, when Man City needs to find important goals, the whole team will aim for the 2022 World Cup champion. That is happening often this season and it helps Alvarez start to overshadow Haaland at the moment