9 | Erling Haaland - 2025/26

[rice10]

We can all see that he has declined a bit with each season over the last 3 years but so has the team as a whole. He has still scored a good amount of goals but I don’t think we play to his strengths (you could argue we never really have) and we make his job harder than it needs to be. His biggest weakness is probably his heading, or at least it certainly isn’t a strength, but it seems that without variation he has been told to always make a run to the back post in the hope that a cross will be hung up for him to head home.

In my opinion not only does this go against Haaland’s strengths but it is also asking two wingers (often Doku and Savinho) on the weaker foot to stand up a pin point cross. It’s like asking all three players involved to do the thing they find hard to do.

I think this tactic doesn’t make the most of the tools we have and has made it harder for him to be as prolific.

 

[mccity]

I'm not convinced he's declined at all

At the start of last season, when we were a bit braver and playing a bit faster, Haaland was scoring goals aplenty. He had an electric start to the season

And if you look back at those goals, they were all immensely good finishes. The kind that you wouldn't see from an average striker

It's just the team slowed down and the chances dried up. Haaland admittedly could have been a bit better with his finishing, nonetheless, but it's not something I'd be concerned with if the chances return to their higher levels

 

[K-Bo]

I basically don't blame him that much for last season really, the general standard of service was very poor and we played extremely slowly, meaning he had 2 centre backs on him before the ball came in.

Basically the entire cast of attacking midfielders and wingers were ineffective/and or below their usual standards, and I think Pep was having such an aneurysm about Rodri being missing that he mostly hung haaland out to dry with his tactics.

He still missed chances, but he's not messi and he needs creators to be effective and we didn't create well last year for me. If it carries into next season, its a conversation.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

I basically don't blame him that much for last season really, the general standard of service was very poor and we played extremely slowly, meaning he had 2 centre backs on him before the ball came in.

Basically the entire cast of attacking midfielders and wingers were ineffective/and or below their usual standards, and I think Pep was having such an aneurysm about Rodri being missing that he mostly hung haaland out to dry with his tactics.

He still missed chances, but he's not messi and he needs creators to be effective and we didn't create well last year for me. If it carries into next season, its a conversation.

I agree the service was poor but isn't it worrying that if it isn't on a plate from an unreal KDB ball then he has been struggling? He needs to be more involved even in games he might not be getting the service. I hope we play to his strengths but I hope he improves a lot of his game.

 

[K-Bo]

I agree the service was poor but isn't it worrying that if it isn't on a plate from an unreal KDB ball then he has been struggling? He needs to be more involved even in games he might not be getting the service. I hope we play to his strengths but I hope he improves a lot of his game.

He needs to improve, but I also think Pep has been stubborn and not adapted to haaland in the way we play. Like we keep trying to play false 9 ball with the worlds greatest striker up front. I'm not really gonna blame him until that changes personally.

Yeah I agree he shouldn't need the best assister of all time to score, but at the same time Doku/Bernardo/Gundo were particularly dreadful at finding him last season, the latter two preferring the sideways pass and doku just struggling to find anyone in general. And savio only did in spells. We have to feed haaland or he doesn't work, if that's a problem we should have bought another striker. pep needs to adapt and play more to haaland's strengths.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

He needs to improve, but I also think Pep has been stubborn and not adapted to haaland in the way we play. Like we keep trying to play false 9 ball with the worlds greatest striker up front. I'm not really gonna blame him until that changes personally.

Yeah I agree he shouldn't need the best assister of all time to score, but at the same time Doku/Bernardo/Gundo were particularly dreadful at finding him last season, the latter two preferring the sideways pass and doku just struggling to find anyone in general. And savio only did in spells. We have to feed haaland or he doesn't work, if that's a problem we should have bought another striker. pep needs to adapt and play more to haaland's strengths.

We don't play a false 9 when he is playing. He is central and barely moves from that position. We actually looked better last year without Haaland and using the false 9. I agree our creators were not up to it last year and our approach being so slow did not benefit Haaland, I think a faster approach and moving the ball quicker should enable him to hit his previous heights. He still could have provided more to the team and it will take a while before I forgive that cup final bottle.

 

[K-Bo]

We don't play a false 9 when he is playing. He is central and barely moves from that position. We actually looked better last year without Haaland and using the false 9. I agree our creators were not up to it last year and our approach being so slow did not benefit Haaland, I think a faster approach and moving the ball quicker should enable him to hit his previous heights. He still could have provided more to the team and it will take a while before I forgive that cup final bottle.

What i mean by that is our style doesn't change with haaland in the team, we continue to play the false 9 style only with a striker holding his position, which means it mostly doesn't work. hence why we looked better when haaland was out. It's not his fault, its peps. With haaland we should be playing in behind and putting a lot more balls in, whatever the cost, and pep was unwilling to do that. Dunno. I have a lot of sympathy for the guy, and feel we're lucky he's not kicking off about the style of play tbh. Top guy.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

What i mean by that is our style doesn't change with haaland in the team, we continue to play the false 9 style only with a striker holding his position, which means it mostly doesn't work. hence why we looked better when haaland was out. It's not his fault, its peps. With haaland we should be playing in behind and putting a lot more balls in, whatever the cost, and pep was unwilling to do that. Dunno. I have a lot of sympathy for the guy, and feel we're lucky he's not kicking off about the style of play tbh. Top guy.

If I got paid what he does and was able to bottle a cup final penalty then I wouldn't be kicking off too much.....

 

[VOOMER]

We can all see that he has declined a bit with each season over the last 3 years but so has the team as a whole. He has still scored a good amount of goals but I don’t think we play to his strengths (you could argue we never really have) and we make his job harder than it needs to be. His biggest weakness is probably his heading, or at least it certainly isn’t a strength, but it seems that without variation he has been told to always make a run to the back post in the hope that a cross will be hung up for him to head home.

In my opinion not only does this go against Haaland’s strengths but it is also asking two wingers (often Doku and Savinho) on the weaker foot to stand up a pin point cross. It’s like asking all three players involved to do the thing they find hard to do.

I think this tactic doesn’t make the most of the tools we have and has made it harder for him to be as prolific.

The front five press has vanished from the team.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

Love the guy but spending 300k on a bag is crazy. That's generational wealth in some parts of the world. Great guy but wow, the game is at a critical point right now, 2 more clicks and we might have to reset the whole thing

 

[Craig]

What i mean by that is our style doesn't change with haaland in the team, we continue to play the false 9 style only with a striker holding his position, which means it mostly doesn't work. hence why we looked better when haaland was out. It's not his fault, its peps. With haaland we should be playing in behind and putting a lot more balls in, whatever the cost, and pep was unwilling to do that. Dunno. I have a lot of sympathy for the guy, and feel we're lucky he's not kicking off about the style of play tbh. Top guy.

He scored a really good amount of goals by any other striker’s standards and missed a lot of very good chances last season. So i’m struggling to get the argument that we don’t create enough for him. Yes he’d be more suited to a counter attacking team but that is never going to happen. The odd time teams are daft enough to go man for man against us or play a high line we always manage to play him through in those games.

 

[sarcastico]

He hasn't declined. The team did. His best is yet to come.

That Chelsea game showed what he can be every week.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

We can all see that he has declined a bit with each season over the last 3 years but so has the team as a whole. He has still scored a good amount of goals but I don’t think we play to his strengths (you could argue we never really have) and we make his job harder than it needs to be. His biggest weakness is probably his heading, or at least it certainly isn’t a strength, but it seems that without variation he has been told to always make a run to the back post in the hope that a cross will be hung up for him to head home.

In my opinion not only does this go against Haaland’s strengths but it is also asking two wingers (often Doku and Savinho) on the weaker foot to stand up a pin point cross. It’s like asking all three players involved to do the thing they find hard to do.

I think this tactic doesn’t make the most of the tools we have and has made it harder for him to be as prolific.

he's declined? WHAT?

 

[mcfcphil]

he's declined? WHAT?

The only thing Haaland has declined is the opportunity to join any other club in the world in favour of a 10 year contract at City

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

The only thing Haaland has declined is the opportunity to join any other club in the world in favour of a 10 year contract at City

Poor lad ;-)

 

[rice10]

he's declined? WHAT?

To be fair he has declined in nearly every attacking stat each season he has been here. However i can see you disagree which is fair enough.

My point though is that this decline each year i dont think is all down to him but actually how Pep uses him. As mentioned in my earlier post our insistence on making him always run to the back post for a header and asking two inverted wingers to try and pick him out with accurate crosses most often with their weaker foot meaning he is having to feed off chances that do not play to his strengths. Hence the decline in his numbers.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

To be fair he has declined in nearly every attacking stat each season he has been here. However i can see you disagree which is fair enough.

My point though is that this decline each year i dont think is all down to him but actually how Pep uses him. As mentioned in my earlier post our insistence on making him always run to the back post for a header and asking two inverted wingers to try and pick him out with accurate crosses most often with their weaker foot meaning he is having to feed off chances that do not play to his strengths. Hence the decline in his numbers.

think you need to lay off the drugs dude.

Overall way he plays has changed, his own game and the team.

Debut season was a freak season in the treble season, and last season the whole team dropped off not just him.


22/23 Total stats
53 games, 52 goals, 9 assists and played 4131 minutes

23/24
45 games, 38 goals, 7 assists across 3745 minutes


24/25
48 games, 34 goals, 5 assists and 4041 minutes

No doubt across both of the last two season if he had played similar minutes and games he would of hit the same numbers

 

[doobyedoobye]

Haalands's shot conversion rate improved last season from the previous one.

 

[rice10]

think you need to lay off the drugs dude.

Overall way he plays has changed, his own game and the team.

Debut season was a freak season in the treble season, and last season the whole team dropped off not just him.


22/23 Total stats
53 games, 52 goals, 9 assists and played 4131 minutes

23/24
45 games, 38 goals, 7 assists across 3745 minutes


24/25
48 games, 34 goals, 5 assists and 4041 minutes

No doubt across both of the last two season if he had played similar minutes and games he would of hit the same numbers

To be fair you and I agree on pretty much everything you have mentioned. You just don’t think he has declined since signing and I do, albeit not by loads. But your points about the way he plays and the team I agree with. I just think that those changes make him less effective.

I would like to see foden and cherki play off him instead of Doku and Savinho and see how that works as it would be a different creative approach.

 

[skybluepower]