What's behind Haaland's drop in goals?

Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who can be decisive in Matchweek 23.

Erling Haaland (MCI)

Without a goal in four of his last six starts in all competitions, Haaland, by his standards, is experiencing his first difficult spell for Manchester City ahead of Sunday's visit by Aston Villa.

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Across his last two appearances, the Norwegian striker has been especially quiet.

In the Premier League, he has averaged 7.79 touches inside the box per 90 minutes this term but against Arsenal in the recent FA Cup tie, he managed only one.

And during their 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last time out, Haaland did not have a single touch in the penalty area or have a shot on goal.

This was the first time he did not have at least one effort in a match for Man City.

Haaland's form in 2023

*As a starter

It was always going to be tough for Haaland to maintain his phenomenal start.

In 2022, he scored 27 goals in 20 appearances for Man City, at an astonishing rate of one every 57.18 minutes.

Since the turn of the year, he has been less productive, despite a hat trick in a 3-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 22 January.

Haaland's hat-trick v Wolves

This year, Haaland has netted four goals in seven matches, at a more modest ratio of one every 136.25 minutes.

Rodri factor

Clear-cut chances have fallen his way less often but there is not one conclusive underlying reason behind Haaland's dip in form.

One tactical observation worth noting is that opponents have been more aggressive in the way they have pressed Man City in recent matches, targeting central midfielder Rodri.

The Spaniard wants to control matches and lay the platform for sustained periods of pressure and usually when he is marked closely, City's in-possession play tends to suffer.

Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all enjoyed successful periods where they squeezed up to press Rodri, who struggled to dictate those matches.

Man City's flow was disrupted and consequently they found it harder to supply Haaland, and their other attackers, with quality service.

Man City's fewest touches per 90 2022/23

Across 2022/23, Haaland has had the fewest touches per 90 minutes of any City player (26.49) by quite some distance.

That statistic is not surprising, or even concerning, but it does highlight the fact that Pep Guardiola's side have not yet fully integrated him into their general play.

He is a finisher on the periphery of matches waiting to burst into life, effectively leaving the team a man light in the build-up phase compared to last season when they used a false nine.

Passes to Haaland in last six starts

As the above numbers indicate, City's midfield talents are struggling to get regular service into Haaland at the moment - he has not been found with more than 11 passes in total in his last six starts.

However, Haaland still has an impressive 25 Premier League goals already this season, boasting a 39.7 per cent conversion rate, meaning there is no way Aston Villa can switch off against him.

The connection between Haaland and his team-mates is still a work in progress but he remains their most dangerous player.

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