Erling Haaland has failed in 6 of the last 8 matches. Did the defenses find a way to stop the Man City striker?
It’s not exactly a goal drought, but given Erling Haaland’s incredible goal-scoring percentage throughout his career, and especially since his move to Manchester City, the numbers are indeed worrying. hesitate.
In the last 8 matches, this striker has 6 times failed to score. Since scoring a hat-trick against Wolves at the end of January, he has only scored two goals and provided two assists, his worst streak in a City shirt.
So, what’s behind Haaland’s recent decline?
Fewer shots = fewer goals
It doesn’t take an expert to point out that having shots is pretty important to scoring. And that’s why it’s not just the Norwegian’s failure to score in recent times that worries Man City fans.
In the last 8 matches, Haaland launched 14 shots, only 3 of them went on target. In the last game against Newcastle, he had only two shots, a misdirected header and a deflected shot, both of which did not make it difficult for Nick Pope. The away game against Tottenham was even worse, as he failed to hit a shot in the 0-1 defeat. In the previous eight games up to and including a hat-trick against Wolves, Haaland had 25 shots – including eight against Leeds – resulting in eight goals.
His recent performances have been even worse than his first eight games for Man City. From his Premier League debut against West Ham and a Champions League home game against former club Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has had 32 shots, scoring 13 goals.
It’s not just that Haaland missed the opportunity, it’s that he doesn’t get many opportunities anymore.
Defenders have found a way to stop Haaland
Haaland’s prolific nature is no secret to anyone interested in football. He scored 86 goals in 89 games for Dortmund and 29 goals in 27 for RB Salzburg.
He also surprised in the Premier League, scoring 18 goals in his first 12 games in what many consider to be the toughest league in the world.
However, despite the initial shock, it looks like the Premier League’s defenses are slowly getting wiser to him.
And the best way to limit his power is to allow him into the box as little as possible. Newcastle have managed that, allowing Haaland to make just one attempt in the area, while against Tottenham he had no touches of the ball inside the box.
In front of opponents who play high and attack quickly, Haaland is always dangerous. His reaction skills also mean that if teams allow City to keep pumping the ball into the box, they will be exposed. But when teams step back and stop him from running behind while keeping him as far away from their penalty area as possible, they can limit him.
The whole Man City team is not in high form
Haaland’s slight decline in form has not gone unnoticed, and Pep Guardiola has been very careful not to blame his star striker for his recent ‘poor’ goals when asked about him before the game. against Bournemouth last month.
Guardiola was told Haaland had missed 18 ‘big opportunities’ this season, more than anyone in the Premier League, but the coach insisted: “It was our fault. Not Erling, Erling has been impressive all season.”
“I don’t need numbers. When I finished the match, a second later I knew if he was involved and if he should have been more involved. I know exactly.”
“Of course he still needs to score more goals. But it’s up to us,
Haaland’s decline has also coincided with City’s relative decline in recent weeks.
Some players are no longer themselves.
Kevin De Bruyne, their familiar talisman, has declined in form, underperforming in a number of matches, except for the top-flight match against Arsenal.
Phil Foden is now back to his best but also struggling since the 2022 World Cup.
City have also lost one of their most creative players since Joao Cancelo left the club on loan. after falling out with Guardiola.
So while Haaland has a great chance to find his best form against struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday night, the coming weeks will tell us more about whether this is just another slump. minor decline or a much more worrisome trend…
