Erling Haaland has bulldozed his way to the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts in his debut campaign with Manchester City, but there may be cause for concern after an uncharacteristically poor showing in defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Despite featuring as a sole striker for the most part this season, Haaland was deployed alongside World Cup winner Julian Alvarez in an unorthodox Manchester City lineup, and whilst many had expected fireworks from the star-studded duo, the outcome was anything but.
On a day in which former Man City target Harry Kane notched his 267th Spurs goal to overtake Jimmy Greaves as the club's all-time leading goalscorer, Haaland was merely a spectator in a performance that many believe to be his worst since joining the club in the summer.
The 22-year-old failed to register a single shot on goal for the first time in his short Premier League career to date, registering just 27 touches and completing just 12 passes in the process.
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Haaland’s off-the-ball movement had been recognised on social media during the match, but his efforts proved in vain, as the full-time whistle blew before he could muster up a single touch in the Spurs’ penalty area.
It was a performance that left much to be desired, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher telling the Sky Sports cameras that "he may have actually picked the wrong club to get the best out of him."
With 25 goals in 20 Premier League appearances to date, there is no doubt that Haaland can score goals in the Premier League. But is there cause for concern regarding his output when Man City travel to the traditional ‘Big Six’ teams?
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the latest high-profile venue in which Haaland has drawn a blank, with the former Borussia Dortmund star also failing to find the back of the net at Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge on Manchester City’s travels so far this season.
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Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports that Manchester City are “not in the position to think about being champions” following their defeat against Spurs and with a potentially season-defining trip to league-leading Arsenal on the cards in nine days' time, the Spaniard may be required to rethink the formula for his Norwegian talisman.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Premier League