Forget the statistics, Erling Haaland has to start in the FA Cup final: Man City's under-performing supporting cast need to step up to get the best out of superstar striker

Given Haaland's frightening goal record, it is often a bigger story when he does not find the net than when he does. As such, it came as a major surprise that he did not wet his beak against a Southampton side that had conceded 82 goals in their previous 35 Premier League matches and recorded only two clean sheets all season.

The Norwegian showed good movement and looked hungry to get back amongst the goals, only to be repeatedly let down by his team-mates. Phil Foden sent him a cross that was far too high and sailed over his head, while when Haaland raced behind Southampton's defence along with Jeremy Doku in the second half, the Belgian bungled the pass. Haaland himself played Savinho clean through, but the Brazilian could not finish.

As former Wales captain Ashley Williams put it on Match of the Day: "I think it was a frustrating afternoon for him [and he will] be disappointed. He looked hungry and he needs the service. The quality wasn't there for him and there is not much he can do. He looked sharp and he's only as good as the service he's got."

Haaland getting lousy service has been a theme of the season. No City players feature in the Premier League's top 10 for big chances created this season, while only Keving De Bruyne (joint-13th, with 14) has made the top 20, with Savinho (joint-24th, with 11) in the top 30. Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku are equal-39th, with eight apiece.

Most disappointingly, Foden is joint-53rd, having created just seven big chances, as many as Matheus Nunes. Haaland himself has created five, putting him joint-93rd on the list. Ederson, remarkably, has created four, more than Ilkay Gundogan (three) and Jack Grealish (two).

The drop-off from last season, when City won a record fourth-consecutive title, is huge. De Bruyne was joint-second on the list with 21 big chances created despite missing half of the campaign through injury. Bernardo had 13, and Foden 10.

The list of Haaland's assist-providers also makes for intriguing reading. He is his joint-biggest provider of his own goals, scoring five times from rebounds or loose balls, with no assist recorded. Nunes and Savinho, meanwhile, are the team-mates to have provided him the most goals, with five each.

Then it is penalties, with Haaland scoring four times from the spot. The only players in addition to Savinho and Nunes who have provided with Haaland more than one assist are Ederson, Rico Lewis and Bernardo.

De Bruyne, his usual provider of assists having set up 20 strikes for Haaland in their first two seasons together, has laid on just a solitary goal for the Golden Boot holder; the same number as each of Foden, Doku, Josko Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly.

Foden, in particular, just has not been linking up with Haaland. The England international has a measly three assists in the Premier League and Champions League combined, compared to 11 last season and six the season before, a campaign in which he struggled with injuries and was not a regular starter.

Foden's lack of goals, 10 this campaign compared to 27 last year when he was named Premier League Player of the Season, is the perhaps the biggest reason why City have had such a poor season, as they sit 18 points off the pace of Premier League winners Liverpool having endured a miserable European campaign having crashed out in the play-off round after finishing 22nd in the League Phase.

De Bruyne's fitness troubles and his subsequent struggles for sharpness until late in the season have also taken their toll, while Guardiola can also take the blame for not adding more players last summer and continuing to trust in the old guard.

Haaland has done the best he can, scoring 30 goals in all competitions - triple the amount of the player with the next-most, Foden - and the striker's anger about the terrible season City have had could be felt when he spoke after the Southampton game.

"We haven't had the hunger inside of us. I haven't been good enough, I haven't helped the team enough," he said. "You can find excuses in all of this - injuries, many injuries and at bad times - but in the end we haven't been performing well enough. The club has set standards and the bar is so high which means this season is a catastrophic season - that says it all. Next season we need to find something inside our stomach again to attack the season."

As someone who "eats like a bear", according to a Norway team-mate, Haaland could never be accused of lacking hunger, either in the dining room or on the pitch. And for all the statistics one can drag up about how City allegedly play better without him, his record of 120 goals in 139 games for the club and and an average of at least one goal contribution per game speaks louder than any other number.

So there should be no debate about whether or not Haaland starts the FA Cup final. The question Guardiola instead needs to answer is how to get his other players to play to the Norwegian's strengths as before and ensure Haaland ends his Wembley hoodoo so City can leave with the trophy in their grasp.