In Focus: How Haaland can return to his heroic form

Erling Haaland has finally hit a stumbling block.

Since his arrival at the Etihad, the 22-year-old has been in incredible form — matching Sergio Aguero’s best-ever Premier League season tally for Manchester City with 26 strikes.

By his own lofty standards, one goal in his last four Premier League games represents a noticeable dip in form for the Norwegian.

Ahead of City’s trip to the South coast for an encounter with Bournemouth, we analyse Haaland’s struggles to see how he can get back in form.

Goals dry up

As City push to defend their title, the last four games have been a mixed bag for Pep Guardiola’s side.

A defeat at Tottenham was followed by consecutive 3-1 victories against Aston Villa and table-topping Arsenal — but points were dropped again in a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Nottingham Forest.

At the City Ground, Haaland missed a golden opportunity to kill the game off, first hitting the woodwork before powering the rebound well over the bar from point-blank range.

It was a moment which summed up his past few performances, where his numbers show a drop-off from his usual record-breaking pace.

Over the last four matches, he has managed 0.57 shots on target per 90 minutes compared to his season average of 2.03, missing four big chances and scoring one.

Henry lends a helping hand

Arsenal legend Thierry Henry offered some advice on how Haaland can get back in form.

He said: “There was one piece of advice that Arsene Wenger gave me that stayed with me — he said, ‘What can you do when your team is not feeding you?’

“We know that Kevin De Bruyne can find him in any way. But the boss used to say to me, ‘Do you think Denis Bergkamp will give you the ball the same way Freddie Ljungberg does?’

“So I started to think about how I could enhance the skills of other players. So maybe, when Kevin [De Bruyne] gets it, [Haaland] can make that run. But when Bernardo Silva gets it, come short, [because] he likes a one-two.

“I think, sometimes, Haaland is making the same run whoever is on the ball. I don’t think it helps the team.”

Finding the right formula

In the past few matches, Guardiola has been experimenting with his line-up in a bid to create the best conditions for Haaland to thrive, while also considering the opponent.

Against Aston Villa, Arsenal and Forest, he started Bernardo Silva in a left half-back role in an attempt to exert more control.

Phil Foden has also played in numerous positions, starting the season on the left flank and last weekend replacing Riyad Mahrez on the right.

The continuous changing of personnel may be disrupting their rhythm. At 22, the Norwegian is still developing as a player and learning Guardiola’s system — he may simply need time to adapt to the latest edition of his manager’s brand of football.

Low-block getting him down

When Haaland was playing for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, he generally faced higher lines which left space for him to run in behind at top speed.

But against City, teams like Forest and Tottenham often play a low block, keeping compact and leaving little room for the Citizens’ playmakers to operate.

And Haaland’s game heavily relies on his team-mates finding him after he has used his elite movement to get into goalscoring opportunities.

With less room to operate in, his attacking influence has perhaps been somewhat diminished.

Bourne to be wild

Despite this little blip, Bournemouth could be the perfect place for Haaland to get back to his best.

The Cherries are locked in a relegation battle and no side has conceded more goals in the Premier League coming into this weekend (44).

Gary O’Neil’s side have found some stability in the past four games, though, conceding no more than once in a single match.

Meanwhile, City lead the goal charts having netted 60 times and will be aiming to move on from their disappointing outing against Forest.