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Is Haaland a problem for Man City? Striker Erling Haaland leads Man City's scoring list, but has been criticized for his one-color and lackluster playing style in important matches in the Premier League as well as the Champions League. Match schedule - FA Cup results Saturday, April 20, 2024 Semifinal Manchester City ten First half: 0-0 Chelsea 23 : 15 See all After Man City drew 0-0 with Arsenal in round 30 of the Premier League, former Man Utd midfielder Roy Keane criticized Haaland for playing weakly like a Fourth Division player . British player Jamie Carragher believes that the Man City striker must play more comprehensively, especially when considered a candidate for individual awards such as the Golden Ball. Haaland's lackluster and ineffective performance in both matches against Real in the Champions League quarterfinals raises even more questions. "Will Haaland become a problem for Man City and Pep Guardiola?", Sky Sports asked. "That seems like a ridiculous question for the club that holds the top of the Premier League table and Haaland leads the top scorer list." Erling Haaland plays in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, at Etihad Stadium on April 17. Photo: Reuters. Erling Haaland plays in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid, at Etihad Stadium on April 17. Photo: Reuters. In this article, expert Paul Merson believes that opponents have found a way to limit Haaland and that his presence in the traditional No. 9 role is affecting the space for Man's other attacking players. City. According to the famous English player, with Haaland on the field, wingers like Jack Grealish or Phil Foden cannot move from the edge to the middle to finish. "Teams know that they just need to sit deep to contain Haaland," said the Arsenal attacking midfielder from 1985 to 1997. "The Premier League has the top coaches in the world, very sharp and has come up with a plan to stop Haaland." Last season, Haaland made a strong impression with 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions, helping Man City win three titles: Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup. In the Premier League alone, Haaland scored 36 goals and broke the record for scoring the most goals in a season held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole (both 34 goals). Regarding this, Merson analyzed: "Last year, Haaland ran down and faced the goalkeeper many times. Teams now know Haaland is very fast and they will not give him space to run. If space is revealed, Haaland will destroy you. Teams just need to close the gap and now Haaland needs to find another option." Merson compared Man City's match against Real to a game between ten players against ten players, when Antonio Rudiger was assigned specifically to accompany Haaland. Merson also believes that Haaland cannot drop deep, move wide like Julian Alvarez or have the qualities of Phil Foden if he plays as a virtual striker. "If Alvarez and Foden play wide, what will Rudiger do? He doesn't know whether to keep his position or continue to mark, and that brings uncertainty. That's what's lacking for Man City," Merson speak. According to the former Arsenal midfielder, Man City needs players with different qualities than Haaland - who can move wide, find space or cut the ball to both sides - whenever there is a deadlock because the opponent sits deep. "Man City usually holds the ball 80% and any opponent drops deep around the penalty area," Merson continued. "Haaland is an incredible scorer, but doesn't help Man City become a better team. When Man City destroys teams, they play with a false 9." In four meetings with Real in the Champions League in the last two seasons, Haaland did not score or assist. Photo: Sky Sports. In four meetings with Real in the Champions League in the last two seasons, Haaland did not score or assist. Photo: Sky Sports. So will Man City play more effectively without Haaland? The Norwegian striker has only missed seven Premier League matches this season, and statistics show that Man City will be better off without Haaland. Guardiola's team has an 85.7% win rate without Haaland starting in the Premier League this season, compared to 64% when the 23-year-old striker is in the starting lineup. This rate is almost equivalent if calculated in all arenas. Haaland still leads the top scorer list, but his basic stats have decreased compared to last season. He broke the record of scoring 36 goals in the Premier League last season with the best performance in the tournament - scoring an average of 1.2 goals per 90 minutes. But this season, Haaland only achieved the third best performance with 0.82 goals per 90 minutes, behind Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Newcastle's Alexander Isak - with the same 0.86 goals per 90 minutes. The Norwegian striker still leads many important statistics, such as goals (20), expected goals xG (23.69) or number of shots on target (48). But Haaland no longer maintains his sharp shooting form. Last season, he only had an xG of 43.20 but scored 52 goals in all competitions. This season, he has xG 33.70 but only scored 31 goals on all competitions. Haaland kicks No Haaland 25 Battle 7 sixty four% Win rate 85.7% twelfth% Loss rate 0% 2,3 Average goals 2.7 first Average goals lost 1.1 2,2 Average points earned 2.7 2.1 Round point 2,3 In recent statements, Guardiola still defended Haaland, saying that the motivation to win a collective title is the most important thing in football, not individual performance. The Spanish coach also praised Haaland as a key factor in helping Man City win five titles in 2023, including the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. According to Sky Sports , with a second consecutive Golden Boot within Haaland's reach and Man City leading the Premier League championship race, the Norwegian striker's form does not seem to be a concern for Guardiola. excessively in the sprint phase.