“Erling was for me man of the match.”
In this article, we’ll cover:
Nico O’Reilly’s brace was decisive in Manchester City’s 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday night. The England international won the individual award for his goalscoring heroics. Pep Guardiola, though, felt Erling Haaland was a more worthy winner of the accolade.
Haaland the creator
It was the powerhouse Norwegian who provided the assist for O’Reilly’s second. The assist itself was anything but vintage Haaland. The former Dortmund man made a surprise run to the right side of the penalty box. The shock was that Haaland is nominally the one lingering around the penalty spot, not pulling wide.
Even so, Antoine Semenyo picked out the 25-year-old with a fine reverse pass. Haaland then hung a Kevin De Bruyne-esque cross into the box for O’Reilly to head past Nick Pope. It was Haaland’s one and only accurate cross of the Premier League season to date.
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Th assist was his seventh of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign. Only Bruno Fernandes (12) has more. What’s interesting is that Haaland now has more assists (3) than he does goals (2) in his last six league outings. Across his last 10 Premier League appearances, the City star has been directly involved in six goals, yet has netted just three times.
He’s still the Premier League’s top scorer, and is five goals clear of his nearest challenger, Igor Thiago (17). However, while the goals have dried up for Haaland, he’s more involved than ever before.
Role change vs Newcastle
Guardiola opted for a 4-1-3-2 setup against Newcastle on Saturday night. Rodri anchored the midfield with O’Reilly, Bernardo Silva and Semenyo in support of front pairing Omar Marmoush and Haaland.
Fans would have expected Marmoush to be the deepest lying of the front duo. Yet as the below image shows, it was Haaland who was actually dropping deeper and wider. As the striker dragged markers out of position, Marmoush was able push forward and peg the Magpies backline back.
Yet Haaland wasn’t their to merely pull markers out of position. Rather, he acted as an alternative outlet, and one that Newcastle didn’t expect. Indeed, he had more touches against Newcastle on Saturday (43) than he has managed in a Premier League game during his career.
In addition, 17 passes was his third most in a Premier League match this season, and his 18th highest overall. Fantasy Football fans must be bemoaning his lack of goals of late. Yet Haaland’s change in role is adding another dimension to the City attack ahead of the run in.
Off-ball importance
As a direct attacking threat, Haaland’s role on Saturday also unsettled towering left-back Dan Burn. In a battle better resembling Godzilla vs King Kong, Haaland won five aerial duels at the weekend. Only twice has he bettered that return in a Premier League game.
Crucially, as City held out to secure all the spoils, Haaland managed three clearances. Only Rodri and Marc Guehi (both 4) made more for City. “Sometimes I’m a critic of him,” Guardiola said of Haaland after Saturday’s win. “But today I said, ‘guy, without you it would not be possible.’”
This role change could ultimately prove crucial as City look to wrestle the Premier League title back from Liverpool. While it’s difficult to mark Haaland out of games given the size and strength of the Norway international, when he operates exclusively through the middle, his approach becomes predictable.
Cut the supply line, which is easier said than done, and Haaland casts a frustrated figure on the frontline. Now, though, he pulling into areas that he’d nominally steer clear of. As such, City are able to maximise his strength in a way few thought possible.
With Semenyo bringing that dash of chaos on the attack, and Marmoush an additional attacking deputy, Guardiola has the offensive flexibility to help win games. And with March quickly approaching, it’s around this time that City really begin to kick things up a notch.
Haaland’s reinvention further serves to increase City’s chances of turning into their juggernaut selves in a bid to claim domestic glory.
