Erling Haaland is in decline.

Neutral audiences who prefer attacking football probably weren’t interested in the performances of Arsenal and Man City in round 30 of the Premier League. The two teams drew scoreless, in a match where the most expected attacking stars of both sides played poorly.

Haaland is definitely the most disappointing name, to the point that former MU player Roy Keane did not hesitate to compare this striker to a player playing in England’s Third Division (League Two).

Impotent

Nothing shows Man City’s helplessness more vividly than the fact that they made 690 passes, but failed to launch any shots, causing trouble for Arsenal. The home team’s only shot on target in the recent “Super Sunday” match came from Nathan Ake’s header in the first half.

The center of Man City’s playing style, the permanent destination for nearly 700 passes, is Haaland, who was once described as a “giant” or a “goal-scoring machine” who haunted his opponents. defense. However, against Arsenal, the Norwegian spearhead became a harmless striker.

Haaland is out of place, looking like a mediocre striker. The most typical situation for the former Borussia Dortmund star’s clumsiness came in the 83rd minute, when the striker was given a good opportunity to score a goal by his teammates, but missed the ball quite ungainly. Former midfielder Jamie Redknapp commented that Haaland does not look like a player racing for the World Golden Ball, or even expected to inherit the throne of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Gabriel and Saliba blocked Haaland well.

Haaland scored 29 goals in 35 matches this season, but in the last 10 rounds in the Premier League, the Norwegian star failed to score in 7 matches. Besides the double against Everton in round 24, or the goals against Brentford or MU, Haaland has played quite poorly in the Premier League since the beginning of the year.

Even Haaland has many times become the subject of ridicule for his rather ungainly touches and misses. However, it is necessary to acknowledge the fact that Haaland just faced one of the best defenses in Europe today, which is Arsenal.

Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba are the first centre-back pairing in the Premier League to not allow Haaland any shots on target in a season. Going further, in the last three confrontations between Man City and Arsenal, Haaland was unsuccessful, not having a shot on target.

What should Pep do?

Haaland is in decline, but don’t forget that Arsenal is the team that has conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season, with 24 goals in just 29 matches. When Mikel Arteta’s team came to Etihad with an active defensive posture, it was understandable that Man City’s striker had difficulty.

On the other hand, Man City’s current playing style does not create the best opportunities for Haaland. The former Dortmund star is not good at dribbling or creating his own opportunities. In the words of Roy Keane, “Haaland’s ability to connect with his teammates is too poor and the player must improve that”. Pep Guardiola understands this.

Haaland has many weaknesses in his playing style.

Last season, when Haaland continuously scored goals and broke records, the Spanish coach repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction when the player did not contribute much to the overall play. That is a difficult problem that Pep must solve if he wants Man City to continue to reign at the top. Against Arsenal, Pep let Haaland play the entire match, not using Julian Alvarez.

Man City captain seems to still have great faith in the tall Norwegian striker. But clearly, Haaland met two very tough opponents named Gabriel and Saliba. The Catalan coach may also believe that putting Alvarez on the field may not bring positive change.

However, in upcoming matches, Pep can consider using Alvarez. Haaland needs to take breaks or sit on the bench to regain his form and confidence.

It is normal for a striker to go through a period of decline or lose confidence in front of goal. Haaland also has certain weaknesses in his playing style. At the age of 23, this star still has a lot of work to do.