Erling Haaland has freed up Manchester City's creative players with his willingness to work without the ball.
Pep Guardiola has overseen two league titles playing effectively without a proper No.9 striker, winning in 2021 while Sergio Aguero was injured for the majority of the campaign before defending their crown despite not replacing the club record scorer after letting him leave on a free transfer. Haaland was signed in the summer of 2022 to belatedly fill that void.
Despite the 22-year-old's incredible personal haul of 21 league goals in 15 appearances, there are question marks over whether City have improved collectively as they trail league leaders Arsenal by seven points heading into the New Year. However, the different qualities that Haaland brings have certainly taken the pressure off City's other attacking players.
