One Manchester City player has really come under the spotlight recently – but Joleon Lescott feels what is being said about him is ‘harsh’.
City are currently gearing up to face Real Madrid in the Champions League, with the first leg of the quarter-final at the Bernabeu taking place tonight.
City are without Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake for the clash, and a late check will be made on Josko Gvardiol. Should the Croatian not be passed fit, then it’s likely Rico Lewis will be starting the biggest game of his career to date.
City will need all their big-hitters on song tonight, with Real Madrid obviously a seriously talented team.
City dumped them out of last season’s competition, but revenge will be on the cards.
One man City fans will hope has a really productive outing tonight is Erling Haaland – who is a player Joleon Lescott feels has been unfairly criticised recently…
Joleon Lescott defends Erling Haaland following claims he has been struggling for Manchester City
Haaland will be hoping to get on the scoresheet tonight, and get the better of Antonio Rudiger, who fared very well against the Norwegian last season.
Rudiger has been speaking about the striker ahead of this game, and it’s clear he’s determined to stop him.
Haaland comes into this game in fairly average goalscoring form by his standards. He’s bagged just one goal in his last four appearances, and has come in for some criticism for lacking impact and influence.
Roy Keane recently suggested that he had the overall game of a League Two player.
So far this term, £51 million signing Haaland has scored 29 goals across all competitions, meaning he’s currently 23 short of his final total from last season.
In the eyes of Lescott, the narrative that Haaland has struggled this season is ‘harsh’. He told TNT Sports: “I think it would be harsh to say he’s struggling. There are question marks about his all-round game, which probably leaves room for improvement being so young, but in terms of a striker, I still think he’s the most prolific in the world.”
Haaland criticism was inevitable, and it’s unwarranted
Following his incredible exploits last season, it was inevitable that Haaland would face criticism at some point this term.
What the Norwegian achieved last season was remarkable, and it was always going to be incredibly unlikely he would reach the same levels and standards this time around.
City as a collective probably haven’t quite been as good, and some defenders have probably wised up a bit to how Haaland plays now.
But the man has still scored 29 goals so far which is obviously an amazing tally.
The recent claim from Keane was uncalled for and lazy. There have been plenty of games during Haaland’s time at the club where he has showcased good link-up play – the win over Arsenal last season at the Etihad springing to mind as perhaps the best example.