Former Man City star makes Erling Haaland claim after Tottenham Hotspur defeat

The former England defender was not impressed with his old club’s performance in the defeat.
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Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes his old club are ‘missing that spark’ after Sunday’s defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

Pep Guardiola’s side went into the game looking to capitalise on Arsenal’s defeat at Everton and claim a win that would see them move just two points behind the current Premier League leaders.

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The former Barcelona manager caused a stir with his team selection as he left Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and, more surprisingly, Kevin de Bruyne on the bench for what was seen as a tough test in North London.

It was Spurs that struck first as Harry Kane became the club’s all-time record goalscorer when he scored what was to be the only goal of the game with quarter of an hour on the clock.

City struggled to create chances as Erling Haaland endured a frustrating afternoon when he was forced to feed on scraps by poor service from his team-mates. Even the late dismissal of Spurs defender Cristian Romero failed to inspire any significant opportunities for Guardiola’s side as they fell to their fourth defeat of the Premier League season and remained five points shy of Arsenal.

Assessing his old club’s performance, Richards told Sky Sports: “From Manchester City’s point of view, it’s not been good enough.

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“We talked about the style of play, playing with a number nine, last season everyone was talking about definitely needing a number nine to finish all of these chances. They’ve won four leagues out of five without a recognised striker.

“I think City are just a little bit different now. I think they force it a little bit too much. In fairness to Haaland, he’s making runs, especially in the first-half, and nobody is seeing him. Alvarez was in there, trying to play that number ten role and alongside him, but he’s not that sort of player. You’re looking for a Kevin de Bruyne to make that assist.

“When Kevin de Bruyne came on in the second-half he changed it a little bit, making crosses from both sides, but they’re just missing that spark at this moment in time.”

City will hope to bounce back when they entertain Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday afternoon.