Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland is helping to bring the best out of Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola made this assertion after De Bruyne and Haaland helped City sweep Southampton 4-0 to move top of the EPL.
Haaland scored his 20th goal for City against Saints. While, De Bruyne’s pass to Phil Foden means his stats are just as stellar, with nine assists in his first nine league games.
De Bruyne has already bettered the tally of eight league assists he made last season. And he’s well on his way towards breaking the record of 20 assists in a single campaign. A tally that he shares with Thierry Henry.
“Of course for a player like Kevin, and especially Kevin, having this threat, this guy [Haaland] who likes to run in behind with this pace, it helps him a lot,” Guardiola said.
“Kevin again created three or four chances [against Southampton], but he can play better. Today wasn’t the best Kevin we know, because he can put his mate in front of the keeper most times. But having players like Erling, Julian [Alvarez] or Phil, making movements in behind, it is so important to him.”
Twenty goals is usually the benchmark of a successful season for any striker. But Haaland has taken only 13 games to reach that mark in all competitions. With struggling Saints the latest side to find out how hard it is to keep him or his team-mates quiet.
City attacked relentlessly from the start and Haaland was within inches of giving them an early lead. But to the surprise of virtually the entire stadium – he hit the inside of the post after galloping clear.
Instead it was Joao Cancelo who put the home side ahead, running on to Foden’s pass and cutting past James Ward-Prowse before finding the bottom corner of the net.
Foden, who like Haaland scored a hat-trick here against Manchester United last weekend, got on the scoresheet himself. Foden’s goal was a dinked finish after De Bruyne found him in space in the box.
That put City in complete control at the break and they wrapped-up the points at the start of second half. That was when Riyad Mahrez volleyed home a Rodri cross.
The only thing missing for the home fans was another Haaland goal. And, after three successive home league hat-tricks, for once it appeared it might not be his day.
Haaland was unable to get on the end of De Bruyne’s cross under pressure from Mohammed Salisu. And then brilliantly denied by Gavin Bazunu who dived at his feet as he charged through on goal.
As the chances kept coming however, you just knew Haaland would take one – and so he did. He met Cancelo’s cutback with a typically precise low finish to make it 4-0 after 65 minutes.
Southampton, who managed only one touch in the City area and a total of two shots – both from distance, and both off target – drew home and away against Guardiola’s side last season. This time, they never looked like avoiding a fourth consecutive defeat.
City keep scoring, and keep on winning.
City were last in top spot on 20th August and might not stay there for long. Arsenal will return to the summit if they beat Liverpool on Sunday.
Regardless of their current position in the table, though, it is clear the defending champions are in the sort of form which will worry all their title rivals.
City are the last unbeaten side in England’s top four divisions. But it is the way they are dispatching opponents that is ominous.
City’s stroll against Saints means they have now scored 33 goals in nine league games. 13 more than Arsenal who have the next best tally.
Having Haaland obviously helps. He now has 15 EPL goals for the season. And that matches the tally of De Bruyne when he finished as top scorer in the competition in 2021-22. But his team-mates keep scoring too.
Saints put up a fight for their manager
Southampton’s performance was far more important to their manager’s cause than the end result.
Reports this week suggested Ralph Hasenhuttl is on the brink of the sack after four years at St Mary’s. But his side did not play like one that has given up on him.
True, damage limitation was their main aim, but that has not saved others from worse drubbings at Etihad this season.
Hasenhuttl must have feared the worst when City came flying out of the blocks but his side defended well. And City continued to do so even when the game was long lost.
