Erling Haaland is experiencing a downturn, impacting Manchester City’s title chances.
LONDON — Manchester City’s pursuit of the Premier League title has faltered just as Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring has stalled.
If there was ever a moment for their prolific forward to step up, it was during the match against West Ham United on Saturday evening, especially after league leaders Arsenal had extended their advantage to 10 points with a 2-0 victory over Everton.
However, against his preferred opponent — Haaland has netted more goals (11) against West Ham than any other team — the 25-year-old delivered one of his least effective and most frustrating performances of the season in a 1-1 draw, which significantly harmed City’s title aspirations after Konstantinos Mavropanos equalized following Bernardo Silva’s opener. And indeed, Haaland did not find the net once again.
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“Erling understands we require his goals,” City manager Pep Guardiola stated. “We also need to generate more opportunities for him, but he had three or four solid chances early in the first half and was unable to convert.
“However, it’s not solely about him. It’s about the entire team and the atmosphere they create. But he will return. Erling will bounce back, and perhaps soon.”
Haaland continues to lead the race for the Premier League Golden Boot this season with 22 goals — four more than Brentford’s Igor Thiago — but he has now gone a month without scoring in any competition.
This month-long goal drought is not simply a minor issue. When looking at the broader context, the Norway international has only managed three goals in his last 12 league matches, with two of those being penalties.
In what is undeniably a significant year for Haaland, as Norway has qualified for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the former Borussia Dortmund striker is experiencing the worst form slump of his career, which appears to have impacted City’s title chances.
With City trailing 3-0 from the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 matchup against Real Madrid — the second leg is set for this Tuesday at the Etihad — Haaland’s absence in the Bernabeu last Wednesday was another instance where he fell short of expectations.
As City struggled at the London Stadium, ultimately dropping two points against a relegation-threatened team for the second consecutive match following the 2-2 home draw against Nottingham Forest, Haaland recorded just 21 touches throughout the game.
He attempted four shots on goal, but only one forced Hammers goalkeeper Mads Hermansen into a save. The others were poor attempts, none more so than when he misfired from 12 yards after being set up perfectly by Jérémy Doku.
With two minutes remaining in the match, Haaland’s misfortune was evident when he miscalculated a cross, resulting in a painful impact to his groin area. Typically, Haaland would have anticipated the ball, adjusted accordingly, and found the back of the net, but it was one of those evenings when nothing went as planned.
Such evenings are becoming increasingly common for Haaland. He appears to be playing as if he is either fatigued or nursing an injury, and given that he has been active since the start of the FIFA Club World Cup last June, both scenarios are plausible.
It is also reasonable to suggest that Haaland is missing the service of Kevin De Bruyne, who departed City for Napoli last summer. Phil Foden’s puzzling absence from Guardiola’s starting lineup means that another reliable source of supply has been lost. City still possesses creativity within their squad, and it was evident that they appeared much more threatening when Rayan Cherki was brought on in the 60th minute. However, even with Cherki on the field, Haaland only had one clear opportunity, which he squandered.
All top strikers experience dry spells, but this marks the first extended slump of Haaland’s career, occurring at a time when City, and the 25-year-old, typically elevate their performance in the latter half of the season. Instead of Haaland scoring the goals to propel the team closer to the title, it is Arsenal’s often-criticized Viktor Gyökeres who is stepping up and making a significant impact for his team.
Gyökeres has netted six goals in his last 12 matches for the Gunners, and his goal in the 2-0 victory against Everton — an opener in the 89th minute — was vital and could prove to be the moment that secures the title for Arsenal.
Haaland has consistently been that key player for City over the years, so when he is not performing, there is a noticeable decline in the team’s effectiveness.
Following Haaland, Foden is City’s second-highest scorer in the league with seven goals, so when the main striker is not finding the net, City faces greater challenges in securing victories.
And this season, it will cost them the title.
