Erling Haaland delivered once again for Manchester City, scoring twice to guide his side through a testing Champions League fixture — and his performance served as yet another reminder of just how dependent City have become on their Norwegian striker.

The goals underlined a pattern that has grown impossible to ignore: when Haaland fires, Manchester City advance; when he struggles, so does the club. His ability to single-handedly shift the outcome of a match makes him not merely an asset, but a necessity.

A striker in a class of his own

Haaland's double continued his historic run of Champions League scoring, adding to a personal record that already places him among the competition's all-time great marksmen. His movement in the penalty area, clinical finishing, and relentless pressing of defenders remain as sharp as ever.

For Manchester City, the concern is not what Haaland delivers when fit and in form — it is what happens when he is absent. The team's creativity and chance conversion drop markedly without him leading the line, exposing a structural reliance that manager Pep Guardiola has so far been unable to resolve through squad depth alone.

City's greatest strength is also their greatest vulnerability

No side in world football leans as heavily on a single player as Manchester City do on Haaland. That dependence cuts both ways: it produces moments of individual brilliance capable of rescuing any situation, but it also leaves City dangerously exposed the moment their talisman is unavailable.

For now, Haaland continues to deliver — and Manchester City continue to progress. But the question of what this club looks like without him remains one of the most pressing in European football.