City have five goals in the league so far - and Haaland's scored three of them

OVER-RELIANCE ON STRIKER'S GOALS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

IT seemed to sum up one of City's issues that in defeat at Brighton, seven of their 12 shots came from the boot or head of Erling Haaland.

That doesn’t always have to be a problem, and the Norwegian should have probably scored three rather than just one. Had he done so, the outcome would have been very different.

But an over-reliance on Haaland's goals has been an issue for this team recently, as the stats show.

Yes, there is a caveat that City's approach has changed since Haaland arrived in the summer of 2022, but the threat is also occasionally too easy to stop. There aren't enough goals coming from other areas of the pitch.

Haaland scored 31 in all competitions last season (before the Club World Cup), but Phil Foden was the only other player to hit double figures, and he managed 10. It’s not easy to separate cause and effect, but in 2023/24, four City players hit double figures, and three scored 19 or more.