Haaland remains Arsenal’s constant threat at the Etihad Stadium, but in a different way. In addition to the goal in the 90+5 minute, the Norwegian striker also made 2 assists for Kevin de Bruyne to hit Aaron Ramsdale’s net.
This is the second time since joining Man City, Haaland has only 2 assists in a match. Previously, the former Dortmund star had two assists in a 6-3 win over MU in the Premier League on October 2, 2022. With the swapping of Haaland and De Bruyne’s positions in the confrontation with Arsenal, Pep Guardiola continues to show a transformation in the use of personnel this season.
The swap
The Norwegian striker is still ranked highest in Man City’s 4-3-3 formation against Arsenal. But through the heat chart, it can be seen that Haaland operates more widely than his forte role as a center.
Heat chart of Haaland against Arsenal.
No longer waiting in the opponent’s penalty area, Haaland actively backed down to support the midfield. Therefore, Arsenal’s defenders also had to change their standing position to include Haaland. Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding took turns following the Man City striker. This again creates space for the attacking players of the home team to exploit.
The common point in both De Bruyne’s goals is that Haaland is always the first to receive the ball, taking advantage of his speed and dribbling to get past the Arsenal defender before setting up De Bruyne. Thanks to his ability to occupy space and finish well, the Belgian international punished Arsenal’s mistakes.
At the first table, Haaland received the ball from the middle of the field and passed it to De Bruyne, who was on the rise.
In the second goal, De Bruyne won the ball and passed it to Haaland. The former Dortmund star took the ball before passing it back to De Bruyne (who was now close to the penalty area) to finish.
This is not the first time Pep has used Haaland as a playmaker. In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich on April 12, Haaland was level with De Bruyne while the striker was Bernardo Silva. This is the match where the former Dortmund star shines with 1 goal and 1 assist.
“We expect Arsenal to press high,” said Pep after the game. “That’s when you need to use the long ball and the second ball. Man City will make the connection from De Bruyne’s pass and from Haaland’s runs. The organization of the team’s play is much better than it is. first leg”.
Pep turns the simple combination of Haaland and De Bruyne into a dilemma with Mikel Arteta. By swapping positions, the Spaniard helped Man City win one of the most important matches of the season. The Etihad Stadium team holds the right to self-determination in the race to win the Premier League.
Independent commented that in just one match, Haaland and De Bruyne created the feeling that they were “Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole of Man City”. Eight of Haaland’s 33 Premier League goals have come from De Bruyne. In particular, Yorke and Cole played an important role in MU’s legendary treble season (1998/99). Currently, Haaland and De Bruyne are also on a journey to help Man City create a historic season.
Haaland makes a difference
The left-footed shot that hit Arsenal in the 90+5 minute put Haaland in history as the player who scored the most goals (33 goals) in a Premier League season since the tournament adopted the 38-round format. If he takes advantage of the opportunity, the former Dortmund star does not stop with only 1 goal against Arsenal. But with 7 games left in the domestic league, Haaland also has the opportunity to break the all-time scoring record of legendary duo Andy Cole and Shearer (34 goals).
MEN pointed out that Haaland is the difference of Man City this season compared to last season. “The Cityzens” were right when they were ready to part with 3 strikers Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling to put their faith in each Haaland.
A new record awaits Haaland. That is becoming a player to win both the Premier League and the Golden Boot in the same season. Man City’s striker has more than 9 goals behind Harry Kane. The Analyst admitted that “only an earthquake will stop Haaland from winning the Golden Shoe”. Meanwhile, Opta pointed out that Man City has a 91% chance of winning the Premier League this season after the victory over Arsenal.
