GUARDIOLA BELIEVES ERLING HAALAND WILL FIND HIS FROM SO LONG AS THE REST OF HIS MANCHESTER CITY TEAM MATES RAISE THEIR GAME BUT HAS NOT RULED OUT JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW SIGNINGS AS HE LOOKS TO REVIVE THE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS (PLC). CITY ARE ENDURING A SLUMP UNLIKE ANY GUARDIOLA HAS KNOWN IN HIS CELEBRATED MANAGERIAL CAREER HAVING LOST EIGHT AND WON JUST ONE OF THEIR LAST 11 GAMES IN ALL COMPETITIONS.

THE DOWNTURN HAS SEEN THE USUALLY PROLIFIC HAALAND A KEY FIGURE WHILE CITY WERE EINNING AN UNPRECEDENTED FOUR SUCCESSIVE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLES, DENIED OF SERVICE AND CHANCES WHILE SCORING JUST ONCE IN HIS LAST FIVE APPEARANCES. GUARDIOLA, HOWEVER SAID HE HAD NO INTEREST IN REVERTING TO THE FALSE NINE SYSTEM THAT HE HAS USED TO GOOD EFFECT IN THE PAST.

I PREFER TO PLAY WITH ERLING, SAID GUARDIOLA AHEAD OF SATURDAY’S PREMIER LEAGUE TRIP TO ASTON VILLA. I DON’T THINK IN THE SITUATION THAT I HAVE THAT I DON’T LET ERLING PLAY – ABSOLUTELY NOT NUMBER, I DID NOT THINK ABOUT THAT. ALWAYS I PLAY FALSE NINES FOR THE QUALITY SPECIFICIALLY OF THE PLAYERS I HAVE IN THAT MOMENT.

IN SOME GAMES PLAYING MAN TO MAN, I LOVE PLAYING AGAINST FALSE NINES BUT I HAVE AN ERLING, I HAVE TO ADAPT. THE CATALAN BOSS ADDED : I SEE HIM FINE, THE REASON WHY MAYBE HE IS NOT SO PRODUCTIVE IN THIS SITUATION IS FOR THE WAY WE ARE PLAYING, THAT WE DON’T PRODUCE THE AMOUNT OF CHANCES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IN THE PAST.

WHEN HE IS SURROUNDED BY TWO OR THREE OR FOUR CETRAL DEFENDERS IT IS NOT EASY FOR HIM. WE HAVE TO PLAY BETTER TO CREATE THE SPACES FOR HIM. CITY HAVE RARELY VENTURED INTO THE TRANSFER MARKET DURING THE MONTH JANUARY WINDOW IN GUARDIOLA EIGHT YEARS IN CHARGE BUT HE ACCEPTS THAT POLICY COULD CHANGE THIS TIME AROUND.

WE WILL SEE HE SAID, I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR WE HAVE GONE INTO THE WINTER MARKET – MAYBE JUST AYMERIC SEVEN YEARS AGO. WE ARE NOT A BIG FAN OF THAT BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS SEASON HAVE BEEN SPECIAL. WE HAVE TO SEE IF SOMETHING IS POSSIBLE AND IF NOT WE WILL WAIT UNTIL THE SUMMER TIME.