{"id":302009,"date":"2023-12-12T16:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=302009"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:00:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:00:13","slug":"mateo-kovacic-says-manchester-city-must-give-more-while-erling-haaland-injured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/mateo-kovacic-says-manchester-city-must-give-more-while-erling-haaland-injured\/","title":{"rendered":"Mateo Kovacic says Manchester City must \u2018give more\u2019 while Erling Haaland injured"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mateo Kovacic says Manchester City will need to raise their level while they are without key players if they are to remain in the Premier League title race.<\/p>\n
The champions came from behind to win 2-1 at Luton on Sunday but did so without injured top-scorer Erling Haaland, who was out with a stress fracture in his foot.<\/p>\n
The 23-year-old, who has scored 19 goals this campaign in addition to the 52 he netted in his debut season at City, is also likely to miss Wednesday\u2019s Champions League trip to Belgrade to face Red Star and Saturday\u2019s meeting at home to Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n
In-form winger Jeremy Doku also sat out the win at Kenilworth Road with a muscular injury, joining long-term absentee Kevin De Bruyne among those unavailable to manager Pep Guardiola as his team looks to chase down a four-point gap to league-leaders Liverpool.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we missed key players like Erling and Kevin, it\u2019s never easy when you miss such big players,\u201d said Kovacic. \u201cBut they are not in the moment here, we need everybody to give 10, 20 per cent more like we did (on Sunday) and then we can win games.\u201d<\/p>\n
The win was City\u2019s first in five matches following draws against Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea, prior to last week\u2019s loss to Aston Villa.<\/p>\n
Defeat to Rob Edwards\u2019 side would have left them seven points adrift of the Reds, but victory against Palace will move them to within a point of the top with the sides above them not playing until Sunday.<\/p>\n
Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish each scored in the space of three second-half minutes to turn the game around after Elijah Adebayo\u2019s goal at the end of the first period had left them facing a fifth straight winless game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team was confident because we were playing good,\u201d said Kovacic. \u201cWe had not bad results, some draws where we could have won.<\/p>\n
This team has shown over the years that in the tough moments they are there<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is football sometimes, then it\u2019s about how you come back. Today we came back in a good way.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big three points. We showed overall great football, especially in the first half we played very well, we found a lot of players in the pockets which is what we want.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you do your thing and insist, the goals come. We could have scored even more, but I\u2019m happy with the three points.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw in recent games that big teams can struggle here. We showed that even when the circumstances are like this we can do our best and play good football.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis team has shown over the years that in the tough moments, they are there, and they were there again (on Sunday).\u201d<\/p>\n