Man City wins again: Haaland is so good it’s worrying!

20/10/2025 08:35:00 pandatv

Erling Haaland has returned in his most intimidating form: a near unstoppable goal-scoring machine. After only 8 Premier League rounds, the Norwegian striker has scored 11 goals, outpacing 12 other teams.

But the paradox is: the more Haaland dazzles, the more people worry about Man City, because their dependence on this striker is becoming alarmingly clear.

The supernatural phenomenon of modern football

Pep Guardiola once said, "Don’t just trust data, trust common sense." But even the cold data now cannot deny Haaland’s extraordinary level. 11 goals in 8 Premier League matches, a total of 23 goals in 13 games for both club and Norway’s national team — these figures are beyond what a normal player achieves.

Against Everton, Haaland was quiet in the first half, not managing a single shot. But after halftime, within minutes, he broke down the opponent’s defense: first a powerful header from Nico O’Reilly’s cross, then a cold finish from Savinho’s pass. All eyes at Etihad were on the giant number 9 — a player who only needs a moment to change the entire match.

Opposing coaches were almost helpless. David Moyes, after the loss, half-joked, "I wish he was somewhere else, not at Man City." Alan Shearer praised: "If you want to create the perfect striker, that’s Haaland — speed, strength, finishing ability, and incredible toughness."

More frighteningly, Haaland is no longer just a "penalty box assassin." This season, he actively moves, holds up play, and creates space for teammates. In the Brentford game, he turned a seemingly harmless ball into a deadly assist with a skillful spin. Against Everton, he received a slow cross but still generated enough power to beat Jordan Pickford.

With his current fitness and killer instinct, Haaland could once again enter the Ballon d’Or race. But behind that glow lies a quiet worry for Man City.

Man City is excessively reliant on Haaland

Haaland is so good it’s worrying

Pep Guardiola has repeatedly warned: "We can’t achieve anything big with only Erling." He’s not speaking lightly. So far, Haaland has scored 11 of Man City’s 17 Premier League goals, accounting for 64.7%, the highest dependency rate in the history of English champions.

Typically, the top scorer of a champion team accounts for only about 25-30% of total goals. Even the legend Alan Shearer in 1994-95, who scored 34 goals for Blackburn, accounted for just 42.5%. Haaland’s ratio is nearly one and a half times that.

Looking at shot stats, the situation is even more concerning: Haaland took 34 out of 105 shots by the whole team, over 32% — the highest rate in the league. This indicates almost all Man City attacks target Haaland as the sole focus.

What about the rest of the team? Foden, Nunes, Reijnders, and Cherki each have only 1 goal, while forwards like Savinho, Jeremy Doku, and Oscar Bobb remain goalless. Even when playing well, Foden tends to assist rather than shoot. Reijnders often gets chances but fails to convert. Savinho has skill and speed but lacks decisiveness in finishing.

This dependence makes Man City more predictable. Against Everton, the central defenders Tarkowski and Keane locked down Haaland for nearly an hour, causing City to struggle. But with just a moment’s lapse, the Norwegian striker immediately punished them. Not every team will make such mistakes, and if Haaland is completely contained, the question is: who will score for Man City?

In previous seasons, City had players sharing the scoring load — Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez — all regularly scoring double-digit goals. But not this season. Pep’s attacking squad is younger and more promising but lacks the killer instinct the team once had.

Haaland missed a long spell last season due to an ankle injury, and that was when City’s form declined. Pep knows well that if this scenario repeats, all ambitions could collapse. That’s why he’s trying to redistribute the scoring burden, encouraging second-line players like Nunes, Reijnders, Doku, and Foden to shoot more.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. When you have a striker who scores with half a chance, teammates’ natural reaction is to pass to him. And so the cycle of dependence continues.

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