Erling Haaland is about to give Man City the same boost he gave them last season

Very few people saw Manchester City's late collapse against Crystal Palace coming.

That being said, talk of City's demise is greatly exaggerated. The Blues have become masters of turning the screw when it matters most of all.

Last season, Pep Guardiola masterminded an incredible second half of the season that pushed the club further into the record books. Having a blip before the festive period is nothing new and not something that will overly concern the Blues boss.

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Plus, there could be cause for optimism heading into 2024. Last campaign, City were thrown the curveball of the mid-season World Cup in Qatar.

With the prestigious tournament being hosted in the winter, those who were not representing their nations in the Middle East were left waiting for domestic football to resume. Guardiola even spoke about how he feared they would lack match sharpness, but he could not have been more wrong about one of his key men.

Erling Haaland did not travel to the World Cup and this break allowed him to play more minutes in the second half of the season as City completed the Treble. Fast forward a year and the striker is being allowed a similar 'break'.

While no fan would wish ill on a player when it comes to injuries, the stress issue that Haaland is suffering from could give him another mid-season break. City are about to play in the FIFA Club World Cup and Guardiola is not convinced the Norwegian will be able to feature in the competition due to his injury.

Being allowed to not rush Haaland back because they are not competing in the Premier League before Christmas is a luxury that City can take full advantage of.