Can Haaland rediscover best form before Man City crunch week?

But the Manchester City striker has scored just twice in open play in his last 18 matches heading into a pivotal week for Pep Guardiola’s men.

As City bid to overturn Real Madrid’s commanding 3-0 first-leg lead in their Champions League Last-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium tonight, DAZN News  reporter Ross Heppenstall analyses Haaland’s worrying slump.

Outgunning Shearer and smashing records

Haaland enjoyed perhaps the best form of his career earlier this season after posting an incredible number of goals.

For club and country, the Norwegian was simply unstoppable.

Haaland holds the title of being the quickest player to score 50 Champions League goals and the only player to score hat-tricks in three back-to-back Premier League home games.

He is already Norway’s all-time top scorer too, but when City won 5-4 at Fulham on December 2, Haaland’s opener saw him reach a century of goals in just 111 games.

That beat the previous record set by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer – the greatest goalscorer in Premier League history – in 1995 by 13 appearances.

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From scoring for fun to misfiring badly

On December 20, City thrashed West Ham 3-0 at the Etihad, and Haaland grabbed a brace.

It took him 19 Premier League goals for the season and meant he had scored five times in his last three City appearances.

In short, it continued the kind of blistering form he had produced since the campaign began.

But in his 18 appearances since then, Haaland has not hit top gear and in some games, he has not even come close.

A return of four goals – and two of those coming from the penalty sport – has raised concerns about Haaland's form.

His last goal came over a month ago in a 3-0 home win against Fulham and Saturday’s 1-1 draw at struggling West Ham marked Haaland’s fourth game without finding a net.

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Not at his physical peak

Guardiola has denied that Haaland is carrying an injury but concerns have been raised about the striker suffering from fatigue.

At the end of last season, Haaland played two World Cup qualifiers for Norway and then made four appearances for City at the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA.

There have been suggestions that the number of games Haaland has played has eventually caught up with him.

After his ineffectual performance against West Ham at the weekend, Guardiola jumped to his star man’s defence, saying: “I didn’t see fatigue in the last 20-25 minutes from Erling, to be honest.

“I didn’t see him fatigued. Sometimes it’s the tempo, the rhythm.

“Do you know how many central defenders was there against him? Two hundred million.

“How many holding midfielders go close to the defenders? It’s the most difficult position in the planet.

“For that, we have to deliver with the wingers and put it there. Always we tried, arrive there and look for Erling.

“Make a movement but it’s not easy. Sometimes we have periods where we have to accept it. He will be back.’”

With Real Madrid in town, tonight’s Champions League Last-16 tie second leg would be the perfect time for Haaland to start scoring again.

Can Haaland rediscover his spark when City need it most?

This is a big week for Guardiola’s men, with their clash with Real Madrid quickly followed by Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.

With the Premier League title already slipping through their fingers, there are fears amongst some City fans that their team could end this season empty-handed again, as they did last term.

That would be a disaster for Guardiola in what may yet prove his final season at the Etihad Stadium.

Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022, Haaland has proved such a key figure in City’s era of success under Guardiola.

As they head into a number of games which will shape their season, they desperately need him to rediscover something approaching his best again.

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Watch the Champions League on DAZN

Every Champions League match this season can be watched on DAZN in Canada and New Zealand. 

For US soccer fans, watch Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid and Manchester City vs Real Madrid in the Last 16 exclusively on DAZN, in Spanish language.

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