Erling Haaland’s individual impact on the Premier League has been something we have never seen before, and the Norwegian looks set to smash the current goal record for a 38-game season set by Mohammad Salah in 2017/18.
Haaland only needs six more goals this campaign to beat the Liverpool forward’s 32-goal record, but despite Haaland’s goals the Manchester City team he is part of isn’t performing at the same level as in previous seasons. This raises the question of whether the signing of traditional number nine; a position City have avoided in recent years has impacted the rest of the squad negatively.
One thing is for sure, if you have a player capable of scoring over 30 league goals a season, he can’t be the problem and it’s the job of the rest of the squad to make it work. One City player who has done this is Jack Grealish, who’s relished the opportunity to play with an out-and-out striker.
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However, there is no question the rest of the squad haven’t adapted quite yet, but what can Pep Guardiola do to get his team back to the dizzying heights of previous seasons with Erling Haaland front and centre?
The trademark of every Pep Guardiola side over the years has been tiki-taka possession that helps his team lock down the midfield and punish the opposition with wave after wave of attack. This style of play is responsible for City’s domestic domination over recent seasons, but in previous years their rotating front players have been able to drop back into midfield and get involved in this type of play, and this is something Haaland isn't as adept at.
While City certainly don’t need to give up one of their biggest strengths, they do need to start looking for Haaland’s runs more often and he is frequently ignored as safe possession is kept.
The 6ft 5in forward is clearly most at home in the opposition’s penalty area with only one of his 27 Premier League goals coming from outside the box. Haaland only averages 6.4 passes per 90 in the opposition half, considerably lower than the rest of the Manchester City squad, implying the rest of the side are playing a different game to Haaland.
Not only does this change how effective Haaland can be in the City side, it also leaves the rest of the squad a man shorter in build-up than in previous seasons.
While it wouldn’t be beneficial for Manchester City to start playing consistent long ball to their front man, they do need to start being slightly more direct when attacking rather than always trying to work the perfect chance. Haaland has already demonstrated his pedigree when one on one with defenders, and his electric pace should be a weapon City deploy far more on they currently do on the counter-attack.
Pep Guardiola may look to add significant pace to City’s wide options in the summer, to try and combat these issues. The Blues have previously had electric pace on the flanks but this season they don’t have that within the squad, with players like Grealish and Mahrez preferring to cut inside rather than get in behind full-backs.
A player with a similar profile to former City winger Leroy Sane would be perfect for this current City side and could be the ideal way to bond Haaland with the rest of the City squad. Someone quick and direct would help speed up City’s transitions between defence and attack which would get Haaland running in behind defences more often, which is where he is at his best.
Haaland at Manchester City is a match that has to work, but if both parties are to reach their potential, there will need to be compromise on both ends to create a free-flowing side that will be back at the top of the Premier League.
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