Manchester City's hopes of advancing in the Champions League were severely undermined by the absence of Erling Haaland and compounded by multiple challenges. Despite a prior defeat to Real Madrid, the team's performance was more than just Haaland's missing presence; it exposed age and physical limitations in the midfield, coupled with defensive injuries. The overall reliance on Haaland to generate offense highlighted significant concerns, marking the current state of the team as limp and lacking vital tactical edge.
It turns out that during City's bad run, which now spans four months, Haaland's presence has been taken for granted.
Their midfield is old...they are slow and weak, and their defence is blighted by injuries.
They generally need to put the ball on a plate for Haaland to make a difference.
Without Haaland at the moment, what is left of this City team? On Wednesday night...we may have got our answer: not a lot.
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