Former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder, John Mikel Obi, has charged Manchester City forward, Erling Braut Haaland, to show up in big games for his club side, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Norwegian striker has been in good form for Pep Guardiola's side this season, finding the back of the net nine times in six games across all competitions.
However, the former Borussia Dortmund man has increasingly come under fire for not stepping up on the big stage whenever his team needs him.
He failed to score in his side's FA Cup final clash against Manchester United last season, and the same repeated itself when both sides met in the Community Shield.
Manchester City welcomed Inter Milan to the Etihad Stadium for their opening group clash, with both sides meeting for the first time since the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.
The game ended in a goalless draw, and Mikel, quizzed about Haaland's ability to step up in big games compared to some of football's greats, maintained that the former Salzburg man isn't there yet.
“Right now, he hasn’t. We can agree on that. He’s scored goals, so many goals, but in the big games, I want to see him do that on Sunday again when they play Arsenal. I want to see him show up in big games and be the man. Score one or two, hat-trick, whatever it is,” the former Chelsea man said on punditry duties with BeIN Sports.
On the flip side, the 2013 AFCON winner, revealed that Haaland has improved his overall playing style, and just needs to come clutch to immortalise himself.
“I think his general play has become much better than he did last season, but I want him to step up in big games like Messi. Impacts come from showing up in games. He is very impactful, but players are judged by how they show up in big games. In the semi-final(UCL clash against Real Madrid) last year, he didn't score. He's a machine and he scores goals and no one doubts that, but he needs to show up in big games and hopefully, we see more of that this season,” Mikel concluded.
“He doesn't show up in the big games”
Mikel John Obi wants Erling Haaland to show up on the weekend and score against Arsenal!#beINUCL #MCFC #AFC pic.twitter.com/OzBHknG2gf
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 18, 2024
In 104 games for Manchester City, Erling Haaland has scored 99 goals and provided 14 assists across all competitions.
