Player Focus: Clinical Haaland the difference but Man City resistance breaks in Arsenal draw

Player Focus 

It is unfathomable that Erling Haaland endured something of a goal drought last season when he is in this devastating mood. Having endured a run of three goals in 14 games last season, a double in the Manchester derby a week ago showed his knack for goals has well and truly returned. But against Premier League title contenders Arsenal - one of the most resilient backlines in the world - Haaland demonstrated his lethal touch in front of goal, even as Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium. With nine minutes gone, his intelligent pass took three Arsenal defenders out of the game and found Tijjani Reijnders who cantered forward. As the Dutchman broke free with the ball, there was Haaland behind him - pumping his legs like an Olympic sprinter to make up the ground. Reijnders waited until the right moment to slide him in and from there, only one outcome could follow as he nonchalantly passed the ball into the far corner. With 81 minutes still to go, the question left to answer was: how many more he could get?

Player Focus: Erling Haaland

The next 36 minutes proved to be more serene than a trip to his hometown of Byrne, with Arsenal dominating possession and the towering striker required to provide another body in City's unusual defensive barricade. They waited for any chance to arrive on the counter as they protected their lead, but that inevitably meant Haaland would see very little of the ball as he cut a laboured figure in closing down. His three full seasons in the Premier League so far have yielded impressive goal returns: 36 in his debut season in 2022-23, 27 in 2023-24 despite a fractured foot and 22 goals last term where injury forced him to miss seven games. But he looks fresh and fit, providing those lung-bursting runs in behind William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, who seemed terrified to even try and measure up against him. Sometimes, his sheer athleticism goes unheralded because of his imposing frame, but Haaland is the epitome of what a Premier League striker should look like: quick, strong, composed and lethal.

After the interval, that was clear to see. Haaland could sense his second of the afternoon as he ran onto a Jeremy Doku pass, only to fire straight at David Raya on that occasion. The threat was there, though, reminding Arsenal and Mikel Arteta that even when they poured men forward, Haaland's presence down the other end meant they couldn't go gun-ho. And when City did have to defend, the Norwegian managed to contribute inside his own box, clearing a dangerous Leandro Trossard delivery away with a cool head. Touches came far and few between as City tried to protect their lead, with Guardiola witching to a back five for the final 20 minutes or so. To see his number appear on the fourth official's board on 75 minutes was a surprise given his threat on the counter-attack, but City's exhausting schedule of late means he has to be protected. If anything, Guardiola paid him a compliment by suggesting his work was done for the day. But losing that outlet ultimately cost the eight-time champions victory.

Market value analysis

Rumours continue to circulate that Barcelona are tracking Haaland as their long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski. With a market value of €180million, the fee would have been somewhere near a world record amount just to convince City to open talks, as they don't exactly need to sell anytime soon. And there is an argument that what Haaland provides is unique; no other striker in the world can reproduce the kind of goals he scores. With six in his opening five games, it still represents the worst start to his City career in his fourth season, which is quite remarkable in itself. Last season, he had 10 at this stage. Typically, Haaland tends to fade later in the season, but the early indications would suggest he is on track to record one of the finest goalscoring seasons of his career, which may see his value eventually return to its peak of €200m from 2024.