Erling Haaland is expected to shine for Man City in important matches, especially in the Champions League. However, his lackluster performance against RB Leipzig or many other big Premier League matches has really pointed to many problems.
After 32 appearances in all competitions for Man City this season, Haaland has pocketed 32 goals, or an average performance of 1 goal per game. This is an impressive number for any goalscorer, but most of it comes before small teams.
When encountering unappreciated clubs, Haaland often plays very explosively with consecutive goals. However, in matches of great significance, the former Dortmund star rarely proves valuable. Part of the reason is probably because Man City has become quite predictable with Haaland in attack, and their big opponents know how to come up with a counter-card, nullifying the Norwegian “assassin”.
Haaland’s continuous scoring against unappreciated clubs is of course a good thing. However, it should be remembered that Man City spent money to bring Haaland to the Etihad not to solve small matches. What they expect from the 22-year-old striker is the instinct to score goals, the ability to decide the match in important competitions, directly affecting the club’s chances of winning the cup, especially the Champions League – the title that The green man has been tired of searching for too long.
Before RB Leipzig this morning, Haaland once again disappointed Man City fans with a bad performance. Admit that the Bundesliga representative is not the big name of European football. However, in a round where there is no room for mistakes like the Champions League knock-out, every match – against any opponent – is pivotal. During his 90 minutes on the field, Haaland was completely lost when he could not find a connection with his teammates. What the Norwegian striker did was just one shot that didn’t hit the target in the second half.
Leipzig understands the benefits of Haaland – the player has hit them with 6 goals in 4 encounters, so he should take special care of him. Midfielder Josko Gvardiol accompanied Haaland as pictured with the ball, making Man City’s number 9 unable to find a solution. This is Haaland’s problem when he often disappears in matches like this. In the Premier League this season, Haaland has failed to win against Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United (second leg) – all opponents that he is expected to fill on the electronic board.
The goal against Arsenal to set a 3-1 victory for Man City on February 15 was the last time Haaland opened fire in a big game. Even, against a weak opponent like Nottingham Forest recently, Haaland also missed two tenth chances , causing the Green Man to accept the split. Of course, Haaland is also just a human being in the flesh, not a machine, can’t ask him to score every match. However, what Man City needs to be sure is Haaland’s brilliance in key matches, like what Sergio Aguero has done in the past.
There is still plenty of time for Haaland to improve further at Man City, especially the bond with his teammates – which could give him more scoring opportunities. Before Leipzig , Haaland was almost hungry for the ball in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne. He is very active in moving, running, but cannot match the other passers. This is also the reason why Haaland has difficulty in big matches, when the opponent’s defense is not a novice.
