It is no secret that Erling Haaland is one of the best, if not the best striker in the world today. The 23-year-old Norwegian, valued by the specialized portal Transfermarkt at 180 million euros, has been a fundamental part of Manchester City's recent success both locally and internationally. With Haaland as their main attacking weapon, the Citizens managed to win practically everything last season, including the long-awaited UEFA Champions League that had been denied them in the past.
Moreover, in individual terms, Haaland had a fantastic season in 2022/23, as despite it being his first campaign with Manchester City, he managed to break records and win titles by the bucketload. The Norwegian, for example, broke the record for most goals in a single Premier League season by scoring an astonishing 36 goals. All City fans and his teammates were extremely happy to have Haaland's services, but there was certainly someone who did not enjoy the Norwegian's success as much.
Due to his tremendous performances, Erling Haaland became a permanent fixture in Pep Guardiola's formation, which meant that Argentine striker Julian Alvarez was almost always relegated to a substitute's role. However, the world champion striker in Qatar has shown time and again that he asks nothing of Haaland and that he always responds in a good way when the Norwegian cannot be there for one reason or another.
Now, once again Alvarez has proved his worth, as in the FA Cup match against Huddersfield Town, it was reported that Erling Haaland would not be able to play due to injury. However, as usual, Julian Alvarez came on for the team and scored one of Manchester City's five goals to comfortably advance to the next round of the competition.
When Haaland is gone, no one misses him
Erling Haaland is still Manchester City's starter, that much is undeniable. However, fortunately for Pep Guardiola, when the Norwegian is not on the pitch, he is hardly missed, as Julián Álvarez has been able to respond to the striker's absences. In fact, the Argentine has scored 5 goals in his last 4 games, proving that he is up to the task of one of the most important clubs in Europe.
