Man City's record with and without Erling Haaland

After nabbing a first-half brace against FC Copenhagen in the group stage of the Champions League, Manchester City's unrelenting goalscorer Erling Haaland posted an obligatory tweet of himself celebrating beneath the caption: "Hungry for more!".

Aymeric Laporte, Haaland's City teammate, shot back with a screenshot of petition to the UK Government "to have Erling Haaland removed from football for being a robot". Laporte was not alone in questioning the striker's biological makeup - Copenhagen's beleaguered keeper Kamil Grabara told Jack Grealish during the match: "This guy is not human." Grealish shrugged: "Bro, I know, you’re telling me!"

Despite the admiration and astonishment that his scoring exploits have inspired among his fellow professionals, the argument that Haaland does more harm than help to City persists. Given how often he deploys the 22-year-old goal-fiend, Pep Guardiola clearly doesn't subscribe to this theory.

Yet, Haaland has missed enough City games during his debut season in Manchester to get a rough sense of how Guardiola's side may have performed if Laporte was able to navigate British bureaucracy.

Man City record with Haaland

• All competitions: P37 W25 D6 L6 GF96 GA34

With Haaland at the tip of City's attack, the reigning Premier League champions have won 25 of their 37 matches across all competitions (68%). In each of the past five seasons, City have recorded a higher win percentage (dipping as low as 69% in 2019/20 and peaking at 82% in 2017/18).

However, Guardiola's side remain in the mix for three major trophies - a trio of competitions in which Haaland hasn't fared too poorly. City's number nine is the leading scorer in the Premier League - boasting more goals than seven clubs - and tops the charts in this season's Champions League as well. Haaland trails Wrexham's Paul Mullins for FA Cup goals but has at least a semi-final against Championship side Sheffield United to bolster his tally.

Haaland has been involved in all six of City's defeats - although, he did come on after Southampton had scored both goals in a Carabao Cup quarter-final triumph in January. Nevertheless, when City do fall to a rare loss, Haaland offers an easy (and hard to miss) target.

City are yet to lose a game Haaland has scored in but when the opposition effectively smother the big striker - as Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool have done - or when he misses a glut of chances - as in the Community Shield - Guardiola's side have struggled to adapt.

Man City record without Haaland

• All competitions: P7 W6 D1 L0 GF17 GA2

The first game Haaland missed is the only one City have failed to win in the absence of their Nordic goal-hoarder. Haaland was left to watch from the bench as City played out a tame 0-0 with Copenhagen in the Champions League group stage after falling down to ten men in the first half.

Injury sidelined Haaland in the only other European game he has missed this season - which saw City breezily swat aside relegation-threatened Sevilla - and the two Premier League matches he has sat out.

Guardiola opted to rest his chief goal threat in cup ties against Bristol City and Chelsea (twice) which City won by an aggregate score of 9-0.