Man City 2-0 Everton: How talismanic Erling Haaland has “changed his game” in two key areas for Pep Guardiola’s side

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is in “sensational form” and has “changed his game” in two key areas for Pep Guardiola’s side this season, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s best strikers, the Norwegian has remarkably reached new heights this term and has already found the net 23 times in just 13 games for club and country across all competitions, scoring in each of his last 11 appearances.

Haaland did not have much joy in the first half of Man City’s Premier League clash with Everton last weekend, but just as Guardiola’s side were looking limp and the Toffees were growing in confidence after the break, Haaland came to the rescue and scored two goals in the space of five minutes to secure a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City’s No.9 opened the scoring with a powerful header shortly before firing a left-footed shot under goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to increase his Premier League goal tally to 11 after just eight matches.

The superlatives for Haaland ran out a long time ago, but McInerney believes that it is worth highlighting how the striker is “making improvements” in the final third, particularly his movement in and around the box and his aerial aggression.

“I think he's making improvements in his game,” McInerney told Sports Mole. “As good as a goalscorer Haaland has always been, a phenomenal goalscorer, I think he's actually changed his game a little bit. I think there are signs of it.

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“The one thing that’s struck me was that he's definitely better in the air. He's scoring headers now at a much more aggressive rate and I think a lot of it comes down to attacking the ball.

“There were times over the last year or two where City fans have felt a little bit frustrated by Erling Haaland's movement, which sounds crazy given he's Erling Haaland, but he had a tendency to wait at the back post for a cross to come that rarely did, because [Jeremy] Doku wasn't playing that pass.

“Now he's moving for the ball a lot more in the area. Obviously his finish has always been of the highest quality, but there were times when he was a little bit stationary and there was a frustration from that.

“You look at his goals (against Everton), he drops back to make the space when [Nico] O'Reilly pings it up and then he attacks the ball aggressively with the header. The second goal as well, he goes to the ball and understands that Savinho isn't going to dink a cross to the back post, he's going to pass it back to someone because of how Savinho works.

“That's what he needs to start learning with Doku as well, he will go short and play passes... Haaland gets a shot from nearly the edge of the area, where previously he would have been hanging around at the back post.

“I think he's been looking at his own game, his own movement and working on that. I do think he's even more aggressive aerially, he's scoring a lot of headed goals and they are something that, despite being 6ft 5in, wasn't always his strongest point, I would say. He was a massive guy, but definitely more of a runner in behind - a lot more in common with [Jamie] Vardy than Peter Crouch put it that way!

“I think he's getting better. I think there's a real hunger to his game. He should of course had a hat-trick, maybe four goals because two or three were put on a plate for him towards the end. But it doesn't matter. Right now, Haaland is in sensational form and he is City’s talisman. He's absolutely world-class and playing at standards that are unimaginable.

“Even when I was growing up, no-one was scoring goals at this rate. When I was a kid, it was the likes of original Ronaldo, and Shevchenko's and Shearer. No-one was scoring goals at this rate, so what he's doing right now is truly special, but somehow he's normalised it to the point where we just say ‘Oh, it’s Erling Haaland things’. Crazy things.”

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Guardiola acknowledged after the win over Everton that it is a slight concern that his Man City side are so reliant on Haaland, who has scored 11 of his team’s 17 Premier League goals this season.

Whoever steps up for the Citizens in the coming weeks “will claim the shirt” in the eyes of McInerney, who believes that some of Guardiola’s attackers currently lack “confidence and conviction” in the final third.

“We definitely need more goals, that's absolutely right. Guardiola has said extensively that we need goals from other people,” said McInerney.

“We have to see more from Oscar Bobb, Savinho and Doku in front of goal. I don't think Doku's ever been a great goalscorer, and likewise Savinho, but they're only reasonably young. I know Oscar Bobb can score goals. I've seen him do a lot for the academy, but there's an element of confidence and conviction that's lacking currently there.

“I do think whoever starts putting up the numbers will claim the shirt, it's as simple as that. Guardiola will lead on to the guy who gets the results.

Marmoush, Cherki backed to step up as Bobb, Savinho lack “conviction”

“There's plenty more ways to contribute other than directly goals and assists. Phil Foden didn't technically get any assists at all [against Everton] but I’m pretty certain those goals don't happen without his involvement, but the guy who scores goals is going to get the shirt simply because we can't lean on Haaland that much.

“I suspect [Omar] Marmoush and [Rayan] Cherki returning will make a difference there. Cherki has a hunger for goals. He nearly scored within minutes of coming on as a substitute at the weekend, his shot was blocked. Marmoush is definitely going to score if he's on the pitch. I think he will be one that you can reasonably lean on, because he has that killer attitude in front of the goal.

“I think the other wingers are reasonably apologetic when they get through. They don't have that total conviction. Savinho, for example, when the ball was played through to him, he tried to cross it instead, dink it to the back post instead of putting his laces through it. I don't know what he's doing. Oscar Bobb's a little bit reluctant to shoot as well. They have to be better at that.”

McInerney is optimistic that Man City attackers will step up in the near future, adding: “I do think someone's going to step up. My general theory when you've got quality players is that if someone needs to step up, usually someone does.

“People rise to the challenge and City have found solutions in previous years when [Sergio] Aguero was missing, for example, we used a false nine and [Ilkay] Gundogan started scoring goals. We had Bernardo [Silva], [Riyad] Mahrez and Foden also rotating as false nines with [Kevin] De Bruyne too.

“The quality (in Guardiola’s current squad) maybe isn't quite as high as that, but brilliant players have brilliant solutions usually, so I'm expecting someone to step up. I'm hoping it'll be Cherki and Marmoush. I’d like to see those guys involved and I think they've got a reasonably good chance the pair of them to put a marker down to start regularly.”

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