Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gündogan has hit back at Jamie Carragher’s suggestion Erling Haaland may have chosen the wrong club in the Blues, insisting the striker fits into their team.
Haaland has been in sensational form for Manchester City since joining in the summer transfer window from Borussia Dortmund, scoring 25 goals in 20 Premier League appearances so far.
He struggled in the recent clash with Tottenham, though, failing to find the back of the net in the 1-0 win in a disappointing display.
Analysis after that game showed him cutting a frustrated figure as he continually made runs that were not picked out by his Manchester City teammates, who stuck rigidly to Pep Guardiola’s preferred short passing style.
That led to suggestions from Carragher that Haaland may have been unwise to pick Manchester City in the summer as their style of play is not best suited to his particular set of skills, particularly his power when running in behind.
Gündogan is having none of that, though, and believes it’s a ridiculous suggestion given the goals Haaland has scored this season.
“If you score 25 goals in 20 games, you fit into a team!” he told Sky Sports Germany.
“Our game has become a bit different because of Erling’s qualities. Both he and the team have to adjust to that. We’ve already had outstanding games in this campaign, and I can remember that a few weeks ago everything was hyped up.
“It’s important for us to stay calm. We have to realise that we weren’t good enough in the last few games – that goes for everyone.
“Everyone has to look in the mirror and know that they have to step it up a notch. If we want to close the gap to Arsenal, we can’t afford any more mistakes.”
