Maresca's warning: City can't rely only on Haaland's goals

Haaland has 13 goals so far this season, but last Saturday he drew a blank. And on that very day, Manchester City let the match slip away against Brighton, who won 1-0. Coincidence or not, the question is hanging in the air: what happens when the Norwegian doesn't show up?

Enzo Maresca would rather not hide behind that doubt. Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash against RB Leipzig, the Italian manager was blunt: his team cannot live and die by Haaland's goals to get results. City arrives at that match without a win in their last three outings and, to make matters worse, has just lost top spot in the Premier League to Arsenal, who beat Liverpool by the same 1-0 scoreline that sank the Citizens against Brighton.

At a press conference, Maresca was direct about the message he wants to drill into the group:

It's very important that in every game we create chances. Of course, when Erling is on the pitch it's better, because he's going to score, or you know he's always close to it. But at the same time we can't depend on Erling for every game. We need the rest of the team to score too.Enzo Maresca

Still, the manager was careful not to overlook what the Citizens' attack has produced so far this season. As he pointed out, the match against Brighton was the only time the team failed to find the net (not counting the Community Shield, where they also didn't score in the 3-0 loss to Arsenal). "Anyway, I think this last game against Brighton was the only one where we didn't score, but of course, if Erling is on the pitch we're happy," Maresca added, making clear that the Norwegian remains a key piece, though not the only variable to watch.

A European campaign with ups and downs

In the Champions League, City is still searching for its best form. It opened with a solid away win over Porto by 2-0, then suffered a tough 4-2 defeat to the reigning champions, PSG, before bouncing back with a 5-1 rout of AEK at the Etihad. Now the challenge lies in Germany: if Maresca's side manages to get past RB Leipzig, they'll move into the pack chasing PSG, with 9 points on the table.

The manager's words sound almost like a warning to his own locker room: with Haaland, everything is simpler, but the margin for leaning on a single name keeps shrinking game by game. On Wednesday in Leipzig, City has the chance to prove it can win even when its number 9 isn't the one bailing them out.