Erling Haaland resumed training on Tuesday, but after missing the previous two games, he is still doubtful to play in Manchester City’s trip to Tottenham on Wednesday.
After injuring his knee in the 4-0 victory over Newcastle on February 15, City’s top scorer missed games against Real Madrid and Liverpool. His absence has been evident as City has struggled to convert their possession domination into opportunities in their 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday.
Guardiola expressed optimism
Shortly after Pep Guardiola expressed optimism that the 24-year-old would be available in north London on Wednesday night, a well-wrapped Haaland made an appearance on City’s training surface on Tuesday.
Guardiola remarked, “We will know it after training tonight.” “I’m not sure yet, but I hope so.
“He feels better, but he was unable to play in the last two games.” Tomorrow, we’ll see.
Omar Marmoush has been left to lead the line in Haaland’s absence, but the Egypt international hasn’t been able to build on his hat-trick against Newcastle.
Guardiola expressed his satisfaction with Marmoush’s contribution, along with that of Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico Gonzalez, who were also January additions.
Guardiola remarked, “For the brief time they are training, it has been really good.”
The impact is excellent. “Khusanov arrived and played against Chelsea, Orient, Newcastle, Madrid, and Liverpool. It was a tough and challenging schedule to come into, and there was a lack of communication because he still doesn’t speak English.
“Omar too. We are happy because Nico plays well and has a great influence. Naturally, Vitor (Reis) will always be at a high level when he has minutes.
The magnitude of the rebuild City has had to undertake this season due to numerous injuries and the sharp deterioration of some of the team’s senior players was demonstrated by the four midseason additions.
They are currently out of the Champions League and will have to strive to make it into the top four even if their title defense is essentially done.
Guardiola, however, denied that this renovation is the most difficult task he has ever faced.
“No, we’ve already completed it,” he said. “The crew we started with nine years ago has changed after that time. We’ve already done it two or three times. It’s hardly the most difficult task.
The difficulty I faced was when I first began managing my employees. I demonstrated my abilities, and my team did the same.
Since City has only won two of their eight games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs continue to be a nightmare team for Guardiola and City, especially when they are playing away from home.
When City’s season collapsed, their most recent trip there in October ended in a 2-1 Carabao Cup loss, the first of a five-game losing streak and the first of Guardiola’s managerial career. The team also lost 4-0 to Spurs at the Etihad Stadium.
Although City has had a difficult season, Ange Postecoglu’s team has had even more difficulty since an injury crisis, and even though they have won their last three games, they are still in 12th place in the Premier League.
Spurs are a better team than their performance suggests, according to Guardiola.
Guardiola remarked, “They’re a great team, with individual quality.” They are amazing runners in the transitions and have a great rhythm, but I believe they have been making a couple more unnecessary passes lately.
“They are capable, particularly when James Maddison is playing. The team’s opinion differs from the results, which suggest one thing.