Manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, has admitted his side is missing the goals of striker Erling Haaland after their 1-1 draw against West Ham United on Saturday.
The Premier League encounter at the London Stadium saw City drop two points as Haaland failed to score.
The Norway international has now scored just once in his last eight matches for Manchester City.
The result leaves City nine points behind Arsenal in the title race, although Guardiola’s men still have a game in hand.
Speaking after the match, Guardiola admitted the team are feeling the absence of Haaland’s goals.
“The lack of goals, we miss him (Erling Haaland) of course,” Guardiola said.
“I always believe it’s the connections and many things that create good interactions. But Erling, we need his goals.
“We need to create more, like in the (first half), he has three chances there. We have to create that threat that we sometimes didn’t have. He will be back.”
Despite his recent dip in form, Haaland remains the league’s leading scorer this season with 22 goals.
Meanwhile, the manager of Chelsea, Liam Rosenior, has blamed a lack of mental sharpness in attack for his side’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United.
The match at Stamford Bridge was decided by a first-half goal from Anthony Gordon.
Rosenior said Chelsea started well but failed to take their chances before Gordon’s goal shifted the momentum.
“The first 15-20 minutes we had opportunities,” Rosenior said.
“However, the goal gave Newcastle energy and we struggled to maintain mental freshness in the final third.”
Chelsea will now turn their attention to the return leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
