At the start of the season, it seemed that Erling Haaland was unstoppable (again). He scored 10 goals in his first 5 Premier League games (including two hat-tricks, against Ipswich and West Ham), but since then, he scored only three in the last 12 games. And the worst data of all: he scored only two goals in games against ‘big clubs‘ like Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa or Manchester United. Things are looking even worse if we look at the numbers in his last three games (defeats against Juventus, Manchester United and Aston Villa): 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 shots, 0 completed dribbles, 0 chances created, 0 interceptions… and 19 passes.Erling Haaland in the Premier League this season 🎢🫠 pic.twitter.com/nrdZjvDIN8— LiveScore (@livescore) December 23, 2024 To say that the Norwegian striker is in crisis is an understatement, which he himself cannot deny. “I didn’t do things right. I didn’t have any chances, so I have to do better. I have to look in the mirror. A lot of it is my fault, I wasn’t good enough. Obviously, our confidence is not at its best, but we have to keep going and stay positive, even if it’s difficult” the Norwegian striker said to TNT Sports after the Villa defeat. Finally, City will have to play top money in JanuaryHowever, Pep Guardiola still defends his best striker, which is quite normal, giving the fact that criticizing player in public (especially striker) won‘t do any good to his self-confidence. But to be fair to Haaland, he also terrible misses De Bruyne and his creativity, as well as players like Foden or Bernardo Silva, who are in terrible form as well. “It’s about us, not just one player. When in the past we score goals and Erling was so prolific, helping us, it was because of the team. When you have problems at the back, in the middle, it is for everyone, it is a team, it is not about one player. It would be easy, if it was just one player, the reason why. It’s not about that. Erling is so important for us, will be so important for us, has been. We have to try to do things better, to use him better“ said the Spaniard. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8593721##
