Striker Erling Haaland completely disappeared in Manchester City’s 0-1 loss to Arsenal.
Man City received a 0-1 defeat at Arsenal in round 8 of the Premier League. Gabriel Martinelli’s shot in the 86th minute hit Nathan Ake and changed direction, leaving goalkeeper Ederson with no choice but to go into the net and pick up the ball.
In this match, Man City’s attack was ineffective. There, Erling Haaland was completely blocked. Statistics from Sofa Score show that the Norwegian player did not launch any shots during his 90 minutes on the field.
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Man City’s scoring machine was tightly marked by Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes and could not create the impact as expected. Haaland’s most notable image is probably the altercation with a member of the Arsenal coaching staff after the match ended.
It can be seen that Haaland’s performance is at a red alert level. Before traveling with Man City to Emirates Stadium, Haaland showed signs of decline. Indeed, he only scored 1 goal and missed countless good opportunities in the previous 4 matches.
In the loss to Wolves, Haaland only had 1 shot on target and made 15 touches of the ball. Quite surprisingly, a 23-year-old Haaland, always considered very fit, lost in duels with a 33-year-old veteran, Craig Dawson.
It feels like Haaland is no longer sharp and cold when standing in front of the goal. Up to this point, the Norwegian striker has 8 goals in 9 matches in the Premier League and Champions League. Not a bad achievement.
However, a scoring machine like Haaland must do better. Currently, the number of goals scored by the former Dortmund star has decreased by nearly half compared to the same period last season with 14 goals in all competitions.
One of the reasons why Haaland is no longer as explosive as before is because opponents gradually study Haaland’s playing style and imitate him. A series of newspapers and experts analyzed that if only one disciplined player was appointed to closely follow Haaland, this striker could potentially become harmless.
But most importantly, Haaland no longer has a good partner Kevin de Bruyne in attack. The Belgian midfielder’s serious injury caused Haaland to lose his source of goals. Remember, De Bruyne had 13 assists out of Haaland’s 52 goals when he first arrived in England.
Last season, Haaland also had many frustrating moments. For example, before the 2022/23 Champions League final, Haaland only opened fire once in the previous 7 matches. However, Haaland always knows how to come back strongly.
Right now, Man City wants to see that from Haaland when he is losing in the Premier League championship race. The break to make room for the international match series is necessary for Haaland to recharge his energy to play more explosively in the future.
