Pep Guardiola says Manchester City need to make better use of Erling Haaland so the striker can regain his red-hot form in front of goal.
City have recorded just one win in 12 games in all competitions, with the Premier League champions losing nine of those games, with their misery compounded by the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
The Norway international scored just one shot in that match, which came in the 90th minute and also marked his only touch in the Villa box as he failed to score for the third time in a row.
Haaland started the season with 14 goals in 13 games in all competitions, averaging a goal every 81 minutes, with a shot conversion rate of 23.3%.
Yet Haaland has hit the back of the net just four times in 11 appearances since City's slump began, with his minutes-per-goal ratio falling to 248 and his shot conversion also falling to 9.8%.
After the defeat at Villa Park, the striker said he had not been good enough of late, but Guardiola insisted the burden of their dismal streak fell on all players.
“It's about us, it's not just about one player,” Guardiola said.
“When Erling was so productive, it was about us, the team. Erling is so important to us and will be so important to us. We have to use him better.”
“The reason why is this and this and this. It's about us, about everyone. The guys are running more than ever. A lot of little details and big details don't make us as good as we were.”
City have been hit by injuries this season, with the likes of Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Ruben Dias missing, while Ederson and Matheus Nunes are both doubts about their Boxing Day clash with Everton.
They were boosted by the return of John Stones, who was out with a foot injury, for the trip to Villa, but the defender was substituted at half-time and now looks set to miss the match against his former club.
“We'll see how many players we have available. At the moment I don't know,” Guardiola said.
“Still, I haven't spoken to the doctors, but apparently I have [Stones] couldn't continue in the second half at Villa Park, that's because he won't be ready.”
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