Erling Haaland, though currently the Premier League’s top scorer, showed a chink in his armor with missed headers in the Chelsea draw. While this exposes an area for improvement, his talent and determination suggest he can overcome it.
Despite his nickname “Nordic Meat Shield,” Haaland isn’t immune to worries. His dip in scoring form troubles Manchester City, as his mistakes attract more scrutiny than others’. Missed chances against Chelsea cost points, fueling rivals like Liverpool and Arsenal. Haaland’s post-match frustration further highlighted the issue.
Expected goals data suggests Haaland had scoring opportunities, but it doesn’t capture his unique abilities. The problem lies in two specific headers: one misplaced and another soaring off target.
Despite leading the scoring charts, Haaland faces a worrying “drought,” scoring only twice in the Premier League since November. A foot injury with lingering effects impacted his form, though he played 6 games. Both recent goals came against Everton in February.
Driven to improve, Haaland acknowledges the need to sharpen his heading. With over 200 career goals, only 10% have been headers. Given his physique and strength, this area holds immense potential. Even during his dominant Dortmund days, he received dedicated heading training from former Bayern Munich striker Alexander Zickler.
Despite dominating the Premier League scoring charts, Erling Haaland’s inconsistent heading ability is causing concern at Manchester City. Last season, he impressed with 8 headed goals, far exceeding his 5-goal record at the time of leaving Dortmund.
However, this season, that number has only reached 3, and the last goal was scored in October. After the win against Manchester United, coach Pep Guardiola even had to directly discuss the finishing issue with Haaland, demanding that he improve significantly.
Not mentioning the headed goal that brought victory in that match, Guardiola also pointed out a golden opportunity before the end of the half. In a similar situation, Haaland’s powerful header went straight into the middle of Andre Onana’s goal, creating an opportunity for this goalkeeper to make an impressive save. Guardiola emphasized to Haaland that he needs to be more aggressive and decisive at such important moments.
The experts question whether it is the high-pressure matches like the one against Manchester United that make Haaland overthink, leading to his heading ability being affected. However, with his talent, hard work, and the support of the entire Manchester City team, many believe that Haaland will overcome this weakness.
Once he perfects his heading ability, Haaland will become the perfect attacking machine, making opposing teams much more afraid. Although Phil Foden is shouldering the goalscoring responsibility and is commendable for his recent performances, the Manchester City squad is built to optimize Haaland’s goalscoring ability.
Last season, Haaland exceeded the “expected goals” (xG) by 13 goals, scoring a total of 52 goals in all competitions. This season, the xG is 24 but only has 21 goals, showing that he has not really reached his peak form. Haaland’s “big chance” conversion rate is 36%, surpassing players like Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez but still lower than Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak.
Although there is still much to improve, with his determination and ability, Haaland promises to adjust and explode again soon.