Steve Sidwell has claimed that one Manchester City player has not looked like himself this season.
The Blues have just four games left to play before the 2023/24 season comes to an end.
If the Citizens were to win those four matches, they would become the first side to ever win four Premier League titles in a row and add another FA Cup to their cabinet.
In such a crucial stage of the campaign, one pundit and former top-flight player has shared an intriguing claim about one player in Pep Guardiola’s squad who has played a big role in getting City to where they are right now.
Sidwell says Erling Haaland has looked different this season
Speaking in a recent episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Sidwell had this to say about Erling Haaland and how he’s performed this season.
He said: “Listen, he set the season alight last season, he did really well, but he doesn’t seem, I don’t know, the same composed Haaland.”
During the 2022 summer transfer window, the Manchester club secured a £51m deal to sign the Norwegian from Borussia Dortmund, who he scored 86 goals in 89 appearances for.
Across his debut season with the Blues, the striker scored 52 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions, breaking numerous records and comfortably winning the Golden Boot in the process.
Haaland’s second City season
This time around, in 41 appearances, Haaland has found the back of the net 36 times, four of which came during his previous game in City’s 5-1 win over Wolves.
Having struggled with an ankle injury around December and January and then finding himself on the end of some significant criticism for his general play more recently, these could be factors as to why Sidwell thinks the 23-year-old has not looked the same as he did last term.
Either way, regardless of what Sidwell or any other pundit thinks, Haaland has still managed to prove himself to be one of the best goalscorers in Europe and a key player for City.