Manchester City: Haaland s off-the-ball performance helps Manchester City, Guardiola s all-around forward plan may have been realized

Manchester City defeated Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League last night. The Manchester Evening News focused on Haaland's performance. The following is the full text translation.

In the game against Dortmund, although Haaland only scored one of Manchester City's four goals, he showed his influence in other ways.

When you are a player as good as Haaland, sometimes you don't even need to touch the ball to make an impact, just being in the opponent's backcourt is enough to create a threat.

In Manchester City's first goal against Dortmund, Haaland did not score or assist. In fact, Haaland did not touch the ball at all during Foden's brilliant 20-yard strike, but he played a role in creating space for his teammates to attack.

When Reijnders got the ball, Haaland was between Schloterbeck and Waldemar-Anton on the edge of the Dortmund penalty area. Reijnders passed the ball to Foden, and Haaland turned and ran. This was enough to distract Schloterbeck and Anton, who both moved with him. This gives Foden enough space to turn around and find space to finish.

This is another example of Haaland taking to a new level this season. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a nice break and is rejuvenated, which could be bad news for domestic league and Champions League rivals.

The goal against Dortmund brought Haaland to 27 goals in 17 games for club and country. He has scored in 12 of the 14 games he has played for Manchester City this season.

However, Haaland's role this season is not just about scoring goals. He also performed well in his own penalty area, helping the team to resolve the opponent's set-piece threats many times, and at the same time, he became more active in the offensive organization.

In last night's Champions League game, Haaland dropped back to exchange passes with Nico Gonzalez, and looked very angry when he didn't get the pass back. He also left his position to take a quick free-kick and then, like Van der Ven, past half the Dortmund team, he handed the shot to O'Reilly, who forced the Dortmund goalkeeper into a fine save.

A few minutes later, Haaland seized the opportunity himself. Even though he's been more connected to the team this season, passing the ball isn't always a smart move when he can finish like that.

Doku's backpass perfectly matched Harland's movement, and Harland's first shot was very decisive. This time, Harland was upstaged by Foden in front of the goal. Foden's finishing was better, and his goal came just before the England squad was announced.

However, Haaland is still the core of this Manchester City team. He's no longer just a scoring machine, but closer to becoming the versatile striker Guardiola has always wanted to be. Haaland only had 25 touches of the ball against Dortmund, but it showed his influence on the game is growing. He used to stay out of the game for long periods of time, just waiting for a shot, but now he's ready to get involved and make a difference where needed.