Erling Haaland has gone off the boil.
For a striker deemed more robot than man, that’s a surprise. Maybe the Norwegian needs a system update. Or a reboot. Has Pep Guardiola tried turning him off and on?
In this article, we’ll cover:
Manchester City may have lifted the EFL Cup on Sunday, Nico O’Reilly’s second half double enough to down Arsenal. However, the 2-0 triumph saw Haaland fail to score for a ninth final since joining City in 2022. He’s yet to score in seven Wembley appearances.
City attacking cracks starting to show
Haaland still leads the race for the Premier League’s Golden Boot. 22 goals is more than any other player. That gap has closed in recent weeks, however. Brentford star Igor Thiago is hot on his heels with 19 strikes in England’s top tier this term. Worryingly is Haaland has scored just three league goals in his last 12 outings.
Pre-Christmas, the Norwegian was in flying form. Indeed, he struck 38 goals in 28 appearances for club and country. Post-Christmas, and Haaland is floundering. He’s now scored just five goals in his 20 outings for Guardiola’s side since Sunday’s blank.
“We are not a complete team,” Guardiola said after City’s 1-1 draw with West Ham earlier this month. The result left the Cityzens nine points behind Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand on the Gunners. Even so, the Spaniard is still trying to figure out his best system, and crucially one that brings out the best in Haaland.
Semenyo arrival hurting Haaland
It’s easy to pinpoint exactly where Haaland started to tail off. Like Bart Simpson pointing out to Lisa the second Ralph Wiggum’s heart rips in half. It largely stems from Antoine Semenyo’s arrival from Bournemouth.
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City won a competitive race to sign the Ghana international at the turn of the year. Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and briefly Chelsea tracked Semenyo. However, City pipped their Premier League rivals to the signing of the forward. And Semenyo has made a fine impact for the Cityzens.
The 26-year-old has scored five goals and provided one assist across nine league outings since his arrival over the winter. The addition of another attacker, however, leaves City a little unbalanced. It’s for that reason that O’Reilly has been pushed into midfield. Guardiola needs the additional physical and defensive presence to ease the burden on Rodri.
Too many cooks in the City kitchen
What this does mean, however, is that Guardiola has too many attacking players to juggle in his newly-implemented 4-1-3-2 setup. Haaland, Semenyo, Jeremy, Doku, Omar Marmoush Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Savinho are options to fill four spots on the frontline. Foden and summer signing Tijjani Reijnders are both struggling for game time now. Too many cooks in the kitchen.
It’s unfamiliar territory for Haaland in particular. He’s so used to playing as the lone frontman for club and country. Now, he’s shouldering this burden with teammates. Take the goals Semenyo has scored since his arrival. The Ghana star is taking up the positions Haaland would previously occupy.
The runs through the middle, he’s now making to the flanks in order to increase his involvement. Touches in the opposition box per 90 have dropped from 7.01 to 5.29 pre and post-Christmas this season. “He will be back,” Guardiola said of his Terminator after the West Ham draw.
This is a selection conundrum for Guardiola that he needs to rectify, and quickly. City are out of the Champions League having been humbled by Real Madrid. There remains a hefty points gap to make up on Arsenal in the league. The pair meet in a Super Sunday clash next month. It’ll likely be a title decider.
Without willing to compromise the club’s defensive resolve, which was ruthlessly exposed by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu as Guardiola dropped O’Reilly back to left-back, Haaland needs to either tinker his game accordingly to become familiar with the prospect of playing with an attacking partner.
How does Guardiola get Haaland firing again?
The alternative is that Guardiola reverts to a single-striker setup. It would be the best way for Haaland to rediscover his goalscoring touch. Conversely, Guardiola would need to juggle the club’s array of attacking stars. It’s a headache and then some for the 55-year-old.
For now, City can celebrate their EFL Cup success. It’s another piece of silverware for the club and a psychological blow to rivals Arsenal. Haaland has also been granted additional rest to recharge his batteries, figuratively speaking, ahead of Norway’s friendly meeting with Switzerland to see out March.
Before domestic duties resume, however, Guardiola needs to crack this Haaland code before additional silverware is beyond the Cityzens.
