- Haaland broke yet another record, but this one had nothing to do with his goals
- The Norwegian scored the opener for Man City in their 2-0 win over Chelsea
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Manchester City star Erling Haaland wrote himself into the history books against Chelsea for quite the bizarre reason.
Haaland quickly cemented himself as a goal machine at the Etihad and has barely slowed down since his arrival in the summer of 2022.
The Norwegian scored 63 goals from his first 66 league games for City, with the tally now up to 64 after he got on the scoresheet in his side’s 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Although Haaland has a knack for breaking records through his goalscoring exploits, his latest entry into the record books was for something entirely different.
Every team City boss Pep Guardiola has coached is renowned for its intricate passing game, with players zipping the ball across the field.
Erling Haaland broke a record against Chelsea, but it is one fans could never have predicted
Pep Guardiola’s teams are renowned for their quality passing game and ability to slice teams open
Haaland is famous for his goalscoring exploits but less so for linking up with his team-mates
However, it doesn’t seem like Haaland ever quite got the memo.
Against Chelsea, Haaland set the record for the fewest amount of passes completed by a player in 90 minutes for a Guardiola-coached team, with three.
The baffling statistic painted Haaland’s post-match comments in an entirely new light.
‘I want to get more involved, that’s what Pep wants,’ Haaland told Sky Sports after the match.
‘But in games like this, do I need to be that more involved? That’s the million-dollar question.
‘I want to get more assists and become a better player.’
Since his arrival in Manchester, Haaland has registered a total of 13 assists from 67 league games, with eight coming in the 2022-23 campaign and five in 2023-24.
However, with Guardiola’s directive, Haaland will no doubt be keen to boost his assist numbers this season as he seeks to become a more well-rounded striker.
Haaland has been directed by Guardiola to become more involved in City’s build-up play
The 24-year-old will get his next chance to become more involved in City’s link-up play when they host Premier League new boys Ipswich Town on September 24.
It will be the first meeting between the two clubs since January 2002 when City brushed aside the Tractor Boys in the FA Cup.
