When Arsenal kick off against Leeds United at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, the Gunners will know how well Man City have fared against Liverpool, and whether Erling Haaland has made an unlikely appearance in the game.
Currently eight points clear at the top, albeit Man City have a game in hand over the north Londoners, should Liverpool triumph or City only earn a draw then Mikel Arteta’s side could extend their lead at the summit.
It’s clear to all how important Haaland has been to Pep Guardiola’s side. According to BBC Sport, he already has 28 goals in 26 English top-flight games this season.
However, by Thursday morning, the striker still wasn’t back in training, and as his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, already noted a week ago, no training would make it difficult for his son to walk straight back into the side.
? Erling Haaland ??? spotted in Manchester City training pic.twitter.com/PcqKyLd8KD
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 30, 2023
“Manchester City has a partnership with a hospital in Barcelona so he has been there for further checks and treatment,” he was quoted as saying on TV2 (quotes supplied by Liverpool ECHO).
“Now he has been here [Marbella] for a couple of days with the physio from the club. Firstly, I’m not a doctor and secondly, I think it’s ‘touch and go’, yes. You can’t just go two weeks without training and then jump right into a fight. There must be a progression there.
“They can gamble on it, but if he doesn’t get proper training with the team, then he won’t play. It is about how he responds to treatment in the next few days. He needs a lot of care and ‘knuckling’. There are many sprints and there is a lot to move.”
The injury that Haaland sustained has also come at the worst possible time of the season as Pep Guardiola can ill afford for the target man to have a relapse.
The business end of the campaign is precisely the time when City will be wanting to put maximum pressure on Arsenal in the hope that they can be reeled in by the end of the campaign.
With 12 matches still left to play, it’ll only take one or two reverses for the Gunners to really start to feel City breathing down their necks.
Why is Hålands injury good news for Arsenal, if he really is injured. I’m suspicious. City have players enough to win the rest of the games anyway. But I think that is childish talk, an injured player in the toughest oponents team looked upon as something good. I want Arsenal to win EPL, beating Man City with all their best players, including Erling Håland. Then there will be no mumbo-jumbo afterwards.
Seconded
Who cares if there’s a mumbo jumbo afterwards? If beating the best was all that was required to be a champion in this league why did city win against Arsenal and haven’t been able to win against all the weakest sides? It is a usual phenomenon. Injury is part of the game. If a player gets injured in the side of a serious contender, I do not know why the other team can’t celebrate especially if that weakens the team?
👍👍🙏💖💖Yes, playing the dodging, guessing game with Liverpool /Arsenal,
1 man does not make a team 🙄🙄
Agree 100%. Never celebrate anyone’s injury.
That’s the dreams of wounded soldier who want to fight but failing to run how can it be possible
Arsenal chasing Victor Roque and Hojlund? Are they better than Balogun?
So halaand is not going to play tomorrow
Even if he’s injured, city will win 4.1
Not in the squad to take on pool as i write.