Pep Guardiola has stressed Manchester City’s current malaise is not down to one player as he again defended Erling Haaland.
City’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa on Saturday, the Premier League champions’ ninth defeat in 12 matches in all competitions, saw Haaland fail to score for the fifth time in six outings.
After the game the Norway striker told TNT Sports: “First I’m looking at myself. I haven’t been scoring my chances. I have to do better, I haven’t been good enough.”
City boss Guardiola subsequently stuck up for Haaland, who has netted 108 times for the club since joining in 2022, saying that “without him we will be even worse” and that “he needs to be delivered the right balls in the right spots”.
And speaking on Christmas Eve at his press conference ahead of the Boxing Day home clash with Everton, Guardiola said: “It’s about us, not just one player.
“When in the past we score goals and Erling was so prolific, helping us, it was because of the team.
“And when you have problems at the back, in the middle, it is for everyone, it is a team, it is not about one player. It would be easy, if it was just one player, the reason why. It’s not about that.
PEP 💬 It is about us, not just one player… when you have problems at the back and middle, it is all about the team, not just one player… Erling [Haaland] is so important for us, will be important for us and has been and we need to use him better. pic.twitter.com/VBgJywyCT2
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 24, 2024
“Erling is so important for us, will be so important for us, has been. (We have to) try to do things better, to use him better.”
He added: “In this situation, this tendency for all of us (is to say) ‘the reason why is this one, and this one and this one’. It’s about us, about everyone.
“The guys are running, making effort more than ever. All the tendency ‘it’s because we don’t run, because we don’t fight, the reason why is this situation or this player or this manager’… It’s not about that.
“It’s many little details or big details that make all together not as good as we were. But we have another opportunity on Boxing Day.”
City have a sidelined list that includes key midfielder Rodri, recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in September, and Ruben Dias, who was ruled out for up to four weeks after sustaining a muscular problem in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on December 15.
Fellow defender John Stones made his return to action in the Villa game after a foot issue, only to be substituted at half-time. City have been assessing him, along with goalkeeper Ederson and midfielder Matheus Nunes, both of whom were absent on Saturday.
What is an unprecedented slump in results in Guardiola’s managerial career has featured six losses in eight in the league.
And City, who had gone into the season targeting a fifth successive title under the 53-year-old, head into Christmas lying seventh in the table, 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool having played a game more.
Their next five league fixtures are all against sides currently in the bottom half, with Everton sat 15th.
Guardiola emphasised the Toffees should not be regarded as the “perfect opponent”, and added: “It’s about us, to come back at our best. We will take time because we don’t have players, but we have to get results as quick as possible.”
Ahead of the 12.30pm kick-off, City’s players are set to train on Christmas Day before staying at the training ground that night, and Guardiola said: “Today they will be at home with the families, tomorrow (they will be) in the morning and in the night they will be here – hopefully they want to be here, because it’s our job and our duty.”
