Pep Guardiola backs Erling Haaland to deliver if Manchester City 'play better'
Erling Martin Wire Haaland Pic: Manager And (left) Guardiola City Rickett/pa Pep Manchester
Pep Guardiola has backed Erling Haaland to deliver as he seeks to turn around Manchester City's poor form, but has not ruled out January signings.
City are enduring a slump unprecedented in Guardiola's glittering managerial career having lost eight and won just one of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Amid the downturn the usually prolific Haaland has dried up in front of goal, with the Norway striker – isolated and starved of chances – scoring just once in his last five appearances.
Yet although the supply lines are clearly faltering, Guardiola has no interest in changing approach and reverting to the false nine system that has served him well in the past.
“I prefer to play with Erling,” said Guardiola ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Aston Villa. “I don't think in the situation that I have that I don't let Erling play – absolutely not. No, no, I didn't think about that.
“Always I play false nines for the quality specifically of the players I have in that moment.
“In some games playing man to man, I love to play against false nines but I have an Erling, I have to adapt.
“I see him well, I see him fine. The reason why maybe he's not so productive in this situation is for the way we are playing, that we don't produce the amount of chances that we were able to do in the past.
“When he's surrounded by two or three or four central defenders it's not easy for him. We have to play better, to create the spaces for him.” City have rarely ventured into the transfer market during the January window in Guardiola's eight years in charge but he concedes they could make a special case this time.
Yet even so, Guardiola insists the club will not look for stop-gap signings.
He said: “We’ve spoken about doing something. If it’s in winter it’s if we really we need it or if we can really find something – (but) not for just four or five months.
“We’ll see. I don’t know how many times in the last years we’ve gone into the winter (market) – maybe just Aymeric Laporte seven years ago.
“We’re not a big fan of that but the circumstances of this season have been special. We have to see if something is possible and if not we will wait until the summer time.
“In the winter it is more difficult to do. Teams don’t want to sell and they are so expensive.” An extra complication for City could be the 115 charges of alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations that hang over the club, but Guardiola does not know if that could hinder recruitment.
City, who have denied all wrongdoing, are expecting to hear the outcome of a hearing into the charges early next year.
Guardiola said: “I don't know what's going to happen. I know the people are expecting that, but I don't know, (except) only I think it's happening in February, March.”