Haaland Real Madrid struggles prove he is still not at Mbappe or Bellingham level...yet

Suraj Radia

• 18 Apr 2024 10:30 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester City’s Champions League exit put Erling Haaland in a new situation, with the talismanic striker coming under pressure for perhaps the first time in his high-profile career.

It seems almost criminal to criticise Haaland considering the striker is still the joint-top scorer in the Premier League this season, having also boasted the most prolific campaign in the tournament’s history last year.

But Haaland has scored just one goal from open play in his last seven appearances across all competitions, with four of those games coming in draws for City against top opposition in Real Madrid (x2), Arsenal and Liverpool.

READ MORE: Latest Man City transfer news

Haaland’s somewhat limited contributions in recent weeks reflects perhaps the worst run of form in his career and, while it would be foolish to suggest the Norwegian has been ‘found out’, there is an onus on him to adapt his game in these situations.

As he discovered against Real at the Etihad, Haaland cannot rely on instinctive goalscoring alone to carry him against the best teams with the tightest defences, particularly when facing elite centre-backs such as Antonio Rudiger, who are able to handle his physicality.

For a player who is considered one of the generational talents of modern football, Haaland’s all-round game will undoubtedly need to develop if he is to live up to his potential to challenge the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham for Ballon d’Ors in the future.

Guardiola the key to unlock Haaland growth

Of course, it is easy to forget that Haaland is still only 23 and not the finished project yet but when his rivals include the most technical forward in the world in Mbappe or a complete footballer like Bellingham, the City man still lacks the ability to single-handedly change games for his team.

Haaland, of course, does more for his team than just score – the space his presence alone attracts allows for players such as Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva to operate through the channels.

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But even Pep Guardiola has often turned to a more technical player in Julian Alvarez to offer his team more presence on the ball when defences have proven tough to break down, with Haaland having less touches than any other starter on the pitch during his recent blanks.

Fortunately for Haaland, he is at an elite club under one of the greatest coaches of all time, meaning it is only a matter of time before he returns to his deadly best, perhaps with a new approach to maintain effectiveness even when not scoring.

It speaks to his pedigree at a young age that even the most prolific striker in the Premier League can still be considered underwhelming at times but a growth in his all-round game could be the catalyst for Haaland to the next step and establish himself as one of the greatest strikers of all time.