Pep Guardiola Warns Manchester City Cannot Depend Solely on Erling Haaland’s Extraordinary Goal-Scoring Form

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola delivered a pointed message to his squad following their 2-0 victory over Everton at the Etihad Stadium, insisting that despite Erling Haaland’s phenomenal goal-scoring exploits, the team cannot continue to rely exclusively on the Norwegian international to deliver match-winning performances week after week.

Another Match-Winning Display

Haaland once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the most lethal strikers in world football, producing a devastating second-half double that proved decisive in breaking down a stubborn Everton defense. The 25-year-old’s latest brace extended his already extraordinary tally for the current campaign to an astonishing 23 goals in merely 13 appearances across all competitions for both club and country. This remarkable statistic underscores not only his individual brilliance but also raises questions about Manchester City’s attacking balance and their dependency on a single source of goals.

The match itself was characterized by patience and persistence from the home side, who faced a resolute Everton team determined to frustrate City’s attacking ambitions. The deadlock remained unbroken until the 58th minute when Haaland finally found the breakthrough that had eluded the hosts throughout a tense first half. Just five minutes later, the Norwegian striker struck again, effectively sealing the victory and ensuring all three points remained at the Etihad Stadium.

A Concern Amid Success

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Guardiola was effusive in his praise for his star striker, acknowledging the Norwegian’s crucial role in the team’s success. “He could have scored four or five at the end,” Guardiola remarked with a mixture of admiration and expectation. “He’s our key man, what can I say?”

However, the Spanish tactician quickly tempered his praise with a sobering reality check for the rest of his attacking players. “But at the same time, we cannot rely and do good things just with Erling,” Guardiola emphasized, his words carrying a clear message to the wider squad. “So our wingers, attacking midfielders and our other players have to make a step up. When the chances we create are so clear, you have to score goals. They have to score at that level.”

This acknowledgment from one of football’s most successful managers highlights a growing concern within the City camp. While having a striker in such devastating form might seem like the ideal scenario for most teams, Guardiola recognizes the inherent vulnerability in depending too heavily on one player, regardless of how exceptional that player might be.

The Striking Statistical Imbalance

The statistics paint a vivid picture of the goal-scoring imbalance within Manchester City’s squad. While Haaland has already accumulated nine Premier League goals this season, the numbers for his teammates make for stark reading. Only four other City players have managed to find the back of the net in league competition, and remarkably, each of them has scored just once. This concentration of goal-scoring responsibility represents a significant concern for Guardiola as he navigates the demanding fixtures ahead.

The Spanish manager’s frustration was evident as he addressed the issue directly. “They have to score,” he stated emphatically. “If we don’t create it’s fine, but if we create they have to score. But they know it. We have talked about it for a long time.”

Despite his concerns, Guardiola maintained faith in his players’ abilities, referencing their performances in training. “They are good. I saw in the training sessions the finishing is good, and I don’t have any doubts. With luck, they will score,” he added, suggesting that it might be a matter of confidence and fortune rather than ability that has prevented other players from contributing more regularly to the goal tally.

Haaland’s Unprecedented Consistency

The Norwegian’s current run of form places him among the elite goal-scorers in European football. Having failed to find the net in only one of his 13 appearances this season, Haaland has now scored in an incredible 11 consecutive matches. This level of consistency is virtually unheard of at the highest level of the game and represents the kind of reliability that teams build championship-winning campaigns around.

Guardiola’s assessment that Haaland “could have scored four or five” by the final whistle underscores just how comfortable the striker has become in front of goal. His movement, positioning, and clinical finishing have combined to create a player who seems capable of converting even half-chances into goals with alarming regularity.

City’s Performance Against Everton

Reflecting on the overall performance against Everton, Guardiola expressed satisfaction with the victory while acknowledging the challenges his team faced. “We had another victory and it’s good to restart after 10 days,” he noted, referring to the recent international break that had interrupted the domestic campaign.

The City manager observed a pattern that often emerges following international breaks. “The first 15-20 minutes, it always happens after the international break, you are not completely in the dynamic,” Guardiola explained. “All the teams struggle to come back. But, in general, it was a good game.”

This analysis suggests that while City may not have produced their most fluid performance, they demonstrated the professional qualities required to secure three points against determined opposition. The ability to grind out results when not at their absolute best is often cited as a hallmark of championship-winning teams.

Moyes’ Perspective and Grudging Admiration

From the opposing dugout, Everton manager David Moyes provided an honest assessment of his team’s performance and the challenge posed by Haaland. The experienced Scottish manager felt his side had competed well for the majority of the contest but acknowledged that moments of individual brilliance from the Norwegian had proved decisive.

In a revealing moment, Moyes disclosed that he had spoken with Haaland as the striker left the field. When asked about the nature of their conversation, Moyes responded with characteristic humor: “I wish he was somewhere else! Most managers think the same don’t they?”

This lighthearted comment belied a more serious point about the challenge that Haaland presents to opposition teams. Moyes continued: “In the main I thought we did a really good job on him but then he can do nothing for 60 minutes and you’re going to talk about the two or three minutes when he does.”

This observation encapsulates the unique threat that elite strikers like Haaland pose. They can be effectively neutralized for extended periods, yet still produce match-defining moments when opportunities arise. “I think his ability to score, he’s got something which others haven’t,” Moyes added, acknowledging the special quality that separates truly exceptional players from the merely excellent.

Everton’s Tactical Approach and Disappointment

Despite the defeat, Moyes found reasons for encouragement in his team’s performance. “Manchester City played well and created opportunities for him but we did a good job for best part of an hour,” he reflected. The Everton manager’s tactical approach had clearly been designed to frustrate City and limit Haaland’s involvement, and for significant periods, this strategy appeared to be working.

However, the concession of two goals in quick succession proved devastating to Everton’s hopes of securing a positive result. “The first goal was disappointing, the second goal more disappointing because it made it really difficult to get back in it,” Moyes admitted candidly.

Despite the defeat, Moyes maintained a positive outlook, emphasizing the quality of his team’s performance. “But we’ve done a lot of good things and there’s no disappointment for me regarding the play,” he concluded, suggesting that Everton could take confidence from their display even if the result was not what they had hoped for.

The Broader Implications for Manchester City

Guardiola’s concerns about goal-scoring distribution extend beyond mere statistics. The concentration of attacking output in one player, however prolific, creates several potential vulnerabilities. Should Haaland suffer an injury or experience a dip in form, City’s goal production could suffer dramatically. Additionally, opposition teams can focus their defensive resources more narrowly when they need only neutralize one primary threat.

The challenge facing Guardiola is multifaceted. He must find ways to encourage greater goal-scoring contributions from his wide players and attacking midfielders without disrupting the patterns of play that have made Haaland so effective. This delicate balance requires careful tactical adjustments and perhaps a psychological shift among players who may have become too comfortable deferring the final responsibility to their Norwegian teammate.

Looking Forward

As Manchester City continues their campaign across multiple competitions, the need for collective attacking responsibility will only grow more pressing. The condensed fixture schedule, combined with the intensity of competition at the highest level, makes it virtually impossible for any single player to maintain peak performance indefinitely.

Guardiola’s public acknowledgment of this issue serves multiple purposes. It puts his attacking players on notice that more is expected of them, it manages expectations around Haaland’s continued superhuman output, and it sends a message to the broader football world that City recognizes and is actively addressing this tactical challenge.

The coming weeks will reveal whether other Manchester City players can heed their manager’s call and share the goal-scoring burden more equitably. For now, however, Haaland continues to deliver at an extraordinary rate, and while Guardiola may wish for greater distribution of attacking responsibility, he certainly won’t complain about having one of the world’s most lethal strikers in such devastating form. The Norwegian’s remarkable 23 goals in 13 appearances stands as testament to his exceptional quality, but as Guardiola wisely recognizes, sustainable success requires contributions from across the entire attacking line.