City suffer frustrating Brighton defeat
Maresca has told his City squad that they must stop relying entirely on Haaland for goals. The Norwegian striker has already scored 13 times across all competitions this season. However, Haaland was unable to find the back of the net as City suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
The disappointing result saw Maresca's side knocked off the top of the Premier League table. The blank against Brighton highlighted a potential weakness in the squad. Maresca is now eager to see other players step up and contribute in the final third.
Maresca demands goals from elsewhere
Speaking ahead of the Champions League clash against RB Leipzig, Maresca discussed the performance of his team's attacking line. The manager stressed the importance of sharing the goalscoring burden across the pitch.
"At the same time, we cannot rely on Erling for every game. We need also the rest to score goals," Maresca explained, as quoted by ESPN. "But, again, I think the last game against Brighton was the only game of the season where we didn't score. But, for sure, if Erling is on the pitch we are happy."
Haaland remains crucial for City
While calling for wider contributions, Maresca was quick to highlight Haaland's immense value to the team. The manager acknowledged that having the prolific forward on the pitch always provides an advantage.
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The manager said: "For sure, when you have Erling inside the pitch, it's better because he's going to score goals, or you know he's always there close."
Champions League test awaits City
City will look to bounce back immediately as they turn their attention to European action. They are currently preparing to face Leipzig in Germany on Wednesday night. Maresca's side have made a solid start to the competition, picking up important victories over Porto and AEK Athens.
However, Maresca's side did suffer a defeat against Paris Saint-Germain last month. A strong performance against Leipzig will be vital as they aim to regain their momentum and get back to winning ways.