The sudden absence of striker Erling Haaland from Man City’s away victory over Luton Town on December 10 raised many questions about if the player had a broken foot bone, prompting manager Pep Guardiola to provide an explanation.
Before the game, Coach Pep Guardiola made the following ambiguous statement: “Haaland is still not ready and will probably not play against Crystal Palace on December 16 at 10:00 p.m. However, I’m hoping he can be ready for the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia starting on December 20. How Haaland feels will be determined over time.
Coach Pep Guardiola (left) and striker Erling Haaland, the striker who scored 19 goals in 22 matches in the 2023 – 2024 season for Man City
AFP
Without Haaland, Man City labored and fell behind Luton Town 1-0 (a goal from Adebayo), but they rallied to win 2-1 in the 62nd and 65th minutes through goals from Bernardo Silva and Grealish.
After only three draws and one loss in their first four Premier League games, Man City has now secured their first victory. Man City is still in fourth place with 33 points, three points ahead of Tottenham in fifth place (the squad defeated Newcastle 4-1 after losing 4 and drawing 1 of their previous 5 games). Man City is only two points behind the teams ranked above, including Aston Villa, three points behind Arsenal, and four points behind top team Liverpool, thus they still have a chance to contend for the title.
However, Man City’s championship campaign may be significantly impacted if top scorer Haaland is forced to miss a significant amount of time. In addition, Julian Alvarez, an Argentine striker who hasn’t scored a goal since October, will spearhead Man City’s assault in Haaland’s absence, according to coach Pep Guardiola.
Haaland is also leading the Premier League top scorer list with 14 goals
AFP
Only tension in the skeleton. I emphasized that point. It’s simply tension. Do not inquire as to whether or not he has a broken leg. After Man City’s victory over Luton Town, coach Pep Guardiola went on to discuss Haaland’s ailment, saying, “It’s just a bone injury and he can’t play.”
“Haaland could hardly walk normally following the midweek 0-1 loss to Aston Villa.” However, in the days that follow, he is feeling better. The only reason Haaland couldn’t play in both the Crystal Palace game and the match against Luton Town was because the doctors wanted him to fully heal from his injury. We’ll have to wait and see,” said head coach Pep Guardiola.
Man City’s away game against Red Star Belgrade in the last round of the Champions League group stage is scheduled for the middle of this week. However, given that Man City leads the group and has a ticket to the round of 16, this game is merely procedural. To save players for crucial forthcoming games, head coach Pep Guardiola is probably going to play with just the reserve team and younger players.
