Pep Guardiola plots to evolve football once again with his use of Erling Haaland

In Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth last Saturday, Erling Haaland touched the ball eight times in the 73 minutes he was on the pitch.

For 27 minutes in the second half, he didn’t touch the ball. Rico Lewis, the young substitute who came on in the 82nd minute, managed 50% more touches than Haaland. Which means many things but perhaps most of all suggests just how radical a tactical change City are undergoing this season.

First, though, it’s perhaps worth looking at why Haaland touched the ball so infrequently in that specific game. In those eight touches, Haaland managed two shots, one of them on target, and a key pass (his only other pass was the kick-off at the beginning of the second half).

His long period without the ball came when the game was in effect over and City were happy controlling the ball. Even leaving aside his indirect involvement – the players he drew away, the space he created – Haaland had a clear and positive direct involvement in the play when City were attacking.

His previous two games for City, when he competed the full match, had been different. Against Liverpool in the Community Shield he had 16 touches but managed three shots, one of them on target, and two key passes. In the Premier League opener against West Ham he had 32 touches, including five shots, yielding two goals (one a penalty); that was far more similar to his average touches per game at RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund.

These are very early days but it seems unlikely the Liverpool and Bournemouth games will prove typical. Against Liverpool, although some of the reaction was probably exaggerated, neither Haaland nor City played well. Although he fluffed two decent chances, the bigger issue appeared to be that he was making