How Manchester City’s Haaland is peaking at the perfect time to deny Arsenal Premier League title

Manchester City hitman Erling Haaland | Imago

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Manchester City hitman Erling Haaland | Imago

How Manchester City’s Haaland is peaking at the perfect time to deny Arsenal Premier League title

Ayoola Kelechi 13:17 - 11.05.2024

The Manchester City star is on course for a second Premier League Golden boot despite a relatively quiet campaign after hitting a rich vein of form at the tail end of the season

In the final stretch of the Premier League season, Manchester City's Erling Haaland is hitting top form, raising concerns for title contenders like Arsenal.

Over the last five league matches, the Norwegian striker has been in scintillating form, netting a remarkable seven goals. This surge in goal-scoring prowess contrasts starkly with his previous five games, where he managed only two goals.

Haaland entering form at the perfect time

Haaland's resurgence couldn't have come at a better time for Manchester City, as they enter the crucial phase of the title race. Notably, he has scored in four out of the last five matches, scoring only two goals in the previous five before that, last failing to find the net against Arsenal in March as the Norwegian.

Phil Foden and Erling Haaland against Manchester United | Imago
Phil Foden and Erling Haaland against Manchester United | Imago

Manchester City’s star forward appears to have saved his best form for the end of the campaign and has also upped his expected goals in the title run-in to 1.27xG per 90 minutes compared to the 0.98xG per 90 minutes in all fixtures before the match against Arsenal.

Haaland hurting Premier League defenders in various ways

Despite grappling with injuries earlier in the season, Haaland appears to be in peak physical condition now. In the recent match against Wolves, his movement off the ball was noticeably sharper, with his agility and speed giving the Wolves defenders nightmares.

Haaland registered his fastest sprint of the season with an impressive top speed of 36.32km/h, while also making 38 off-the-ball runs during his 81 minutes against Wolves, his second most of the campaign.

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Haaland's threat wasn't confined to the ground as he also posed a significant danger in the air as well. His aerial dominance was evident against Wolves, where he scored one of his four goals with a header and came close to scoring with a second one.

With Haaland hitting his best form at the perfect time for Manchester City, the Norwegian phenomenon’s goals could become the difference between the Cityzens and Arsenal in the tight Premier League title race.

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