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Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan has hit out at Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher for his comments about Erling Haaland. He believes that the striker has not made them worse, and the team just needs to step things up.
Haaland's form has dipped in the past few weeks, with pundits questioning whether the striker is at the right club. The former Borussia Dortmund star still leads the Golden Boot race with 25 goals this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Gundogan backed his teammate amid criticism. He claims that the whole team needs to step up, and it has nothing to do with Haaland:
"If you score 25 goals in 20 games, you fit into a team! Our game has become a bit different because of Erling's qualities. Both he and the team have to adjust to that… We've already had outstanding games in this campaign, and I can remember that a few weeks ago everything was hyped up.
"It's important for us to stay calm. We have to realise that we weren't good enough in the last few games – that goes for everyone… Everyone has to look in the mirror and know that they have to step it up a notch. If we want to close the gap to Arsenal, we can't afford any more mistakes."
What did Jamie Carragher say about Manchester City's Erling Haaland?
Manchester City are trailing Arsenal in the Premier League table, and Jamie Carragher believes it is because of Erling Haaland. He claims that the striker has not made the team any better as he is not pressing like his teammates on the pitch.
The Liverpool legend said:
"He may have actually picked the wrong club, to actually get the best out of him. We're not seeing everything of Erling Haaland. And Manchester City now, not because of Erling Haaland, we can say they're a different team, but they've scored exactly the same amount of goals. He's scored 25 league goals, but Manchester City as a team have scored the same amount of goals [as this time last season]."
Pundits and former players have jumped to the defense of the City star and called out Carragher for his comments.
