Manchester City got back to winning ways against Bournemouth this weekend, with Erling Haaland once again leading the way.
Just a week earlier, Aston Villa had managed to contain Haaland as City slipped to defeat at Villa Park.
The mood was lifted somewhat by a midweek Carabao Cup win over Swansea, even though Haaland wasn’t involved in that 3-1 result. But he returned for the Bournemouth game and made an immediate impact, scoring twice to help secure the points.
The victory moved City up to second in the table, while Haaland now has 13 league goals from just ten matches. He’s also added four more in three Champions League appearances this season.
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Those numbers are just routine for Haaland these days. He hit 52 goals in 53 games during his first season at City, and while he dipped to 38 in 2023/24 and then 34 the following year, he never really looked out of form.
That’s clearly not the case, with Haaland now on par with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, according to his manager Pep Guardiola.
After City’s win over Bournemouth, Guardiola said: “Have you seen the numbers of that guy? Of course he has [reached their level]. The numbers from Cristiano and Messi have been for 15 years, Messi is still scoring two, three goals every game and Cristiano in Saudi Arabia, the same. This is that level.
“The first goal, the way he shoots the ball, going down on the grass saying ‘I am going to score this’. I have said many times, he is incredibly coachable and I am tough with him sometimes. I always try to be open-minded with him and there are players who say ‘what are you talking about?’ He is completely down to earth; he wants to do it and he lives for the goals. Without him it would be tough to be honest.”
Why Haaland and Cherki are clicking at Manchester City
There’s no question that Erling Haaland remains central to City’s attack, but Rayan Cherki is starting to carve out a significant role in Guardiola’s setup.
Cherki has been earning recognition for his link-up play, not just from the coaching staff but also from Haaland himself. And he seems to have a clear understanding of what he brings to the side.
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After setting up both of Haaland’s goals against Bournemouth, Cherki said: “I know Erling, he knows me. When I play with him and he with me, it’s very simple. My job is to give the ball to Erling and he scores.”
That connection has become an important part of how City operates going forward. While Aston Villa managed to keep Haaland quiet with disciplined defending, not many teams can pull that off when he’s getting quality service like the kind Cherki provides.
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