Erling Haaland’s performance in Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad did not escape the scathing assessment of Roy Keane.
The Gunners’ solid defense limited the Premier League’s top scorer to minimal involvement in the game. Keane, however, believes that this display reflects Haaland’s overall quality in open play and insists that he must improve his all-round game.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Keane criticized Haaland’s general play, stating that it is consistently poor and not just limited to this particular match. He emphasized the need for improvement in areas such as laying off the ball, headers, and overall performance in front of goal.
Keane even went as far as comparing Haaland’s general play to that of a League Two player. Despite leading the Premier League scoring charts with 18 goals, Haaland has faced criticism for his overall play and notable misses this season.
In the game against Arsenal, the 23-year-old had only 23 touches, failed to register a shot on target or provide any key passes. Arsenal’s central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel closely marked Haaland throughout the match.
As Manchester City fell two points behind league leaders Liverpool, Haaland’s performance came under scrutiny once again. Although he scored the third goal in a recent victory over Manchester United, it was overshadowed by an incredible miss from just two yards out in the first half.
Since returning from injury, Haaland has struggled to match his earlier goal-scoring form from the beginning of the season. He scored in nine out of his first 15 league games, but has only found the net in three of his last nine matches, with a brace in just one game. Although his statistics are still impressive, they show a decline compared to his previous performances.
In their recent match on Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s team failed to score at home for the first time in a league game since October 2021. They managed only one shot on target out of 12 attempts on goal. Despite dominating possession with 72%, they ended the game with an xG of 0.95 against Mikel Arteta’s team.
As a result, City remains in third place, trailing Arsenal by one point and Liverpool by two points after the latter secured a 2-1 comeback win against Brighton earlier in the day.