SUMMARY
- Manchester City's top scorer Erling Haaland misses out against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
- Manager Pep Guardiola shares an injury update for the Norwegian superstar.
Erling Haaland is the main man at Manchester City. His goal contributions turned City into a world-beater and played a major part in them winning the treble in the 2022-23 season. However, this season has not been the most productive one by his lofty standards. And, ahead of the FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea, manager Pep Guardiola has taken a tough call and dropped the Norwegian striker.
However, it is not because of the performances. Ahead of the Wembley clash, Pep Guardiola revealed the real reason why the former Borussia Dortmund player is not even on the bench.
As per the Spanish coach, Haaland has sustained an injury and is not available to play in the match. While Pep has assured that the injury is not a season-ending one, he is not optimistic about Erling’s chances of playing against Brighton in the upcoming Premier League clash either.
Erling Haaland is NOT in Man City’s squad to face Chelsea after coming off against Real Madrid in midweek ❌🤕 pic.twitter.com/J4iQ6C5eZC
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) April 20, 2024
He added, “Haaland is injured. I don’t think it’s much but he’s not able for today. I don’t know if he will be back for the next game.”
The FA Cup has become much more important to City now that the club is out of the UEFA Champions League. The blue side of Manchester lost to Real Madrid in the UCL quarter-finals in their home stadium. It destroyed their chances of winning a historical double treble.
But, they’re still the favorites to win both Premier League and FA Cup. A domestic double is still a great achievement and judging by Pep Guardiola’s track record, his team will step their game up as the business end of season rapidly approaches.
Erling Haaland asked to be subbed off in Champions League defeat to Real Madrid
Erling Haaland’s injury woes have continued throughout the season. In the 2023-24 season, Erling Haaland has missed 61 days in total due to injury and has missed 13 matches for Manchester City and Norway. He was ruled out on two occasions for separate ankle injuries. However, in December 2023, Haaland suffered a stress reaction of the bone which ruled him out of action for a mammoth 53 days.
Erling Haaland this season! 🔥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 20, 2024
Describe the forward in 1️⃣ emoji… pic.twitter.com/e2hBjunrRm
In the ongoing season, Haaland has scored 31 goals and registered 6 assists. While other strikes will be jealous of what Haaland has been able to accomplish, there is a complaint against him that he has not scored enough goals in the big matches. To an extent, it is true as Haaland is yet to make a major impact in any of the crunch situations this season. And when he had the chance to do so against Real Madrid, the 23-year-old failed.
In the home tie against Los Blancos, Haaland only registered 21 touches of the ball and did not manage to test the Madrid keeper in any meaningful way. On top of that, he reportedly asked to be subbed off ahead of the penalty kicks that ultimately knocked the team out of the competition. Both Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne caught a lot of flak for it.
Pep Guardiola: “Manu [Akanji], Erling [Haaland] and Kevin [De Bruyne] asked me to go out. They couldn’t continue…” [via @Jack_Gaughan]
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) April 17, 2024
However, his omission against Chelsea proves that the striker has been dealing with an injury that perhaps forced the player to ask for a substitution. Now, City fans would be hoping that the injury is nothing to worry about and Erling Haaland returns to his best soon. How do you think Haaland’s injury will affect the City team? Let us know in the comments below.
