Manchester City's Premier League title race is stalling, and Erling Haaland's form is also declining right at the most important time of the season.
Man City really needs the Norwegian star to shine in the match against West Ham United, especially when Arsenal just widened the gap to 10 points after a 2-0 victory over Everton.
However, when facing his favorite opponent - the team that Haaland once scored 11 goals against - the 25-year-old striker had one of the most disappointing performances of the season. Man City was held to a 1-1 draw after Bernardo Silva opened the score and Konstantinos Mavropanos equalized for West Ham.
Haaland knows we need his goals. We also need to create more chances for him, but he had some good chances right at the beginning of the match that he could not take advantage of" - coach Pep Guardiola said after the match.
However, Haaland is still leading the Premier League Golden Boot race this season with 22 goals, 4 more than Brentford's Igor Thiago. However, the Norwegian striker has spent a month without scoring in all competitions.
Looking broader, Haaland's form is very worrying as he has only scored 3 goals in the last 12 matches in the league, including 2 goals from penalties.
This period of decline comes at an important time when Norway has won a ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026. At the same time, Man City is also facing a difficult task in the UEFA Champions League when they are led 3-0 by Real Madrid after the first leg of the round of 16.
In the draw with West Ham, Haaland only touched the ball 21 times. He launched four shots but only once forced goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to save.
One of the best chances came from Jeremy Doku's pass, but Haaland's close-range shot went wide of the goal.
Such ineffective matches are appearing more often for Haaland. Perhaps the Norwegian striker is tired after a tight schedule, or lacking support from familiar satellites.
Kevin De Bruyne's departure to Napoli last summer clearly affected the ability to provide the ball for Haaland. Meanwhile, Phil Foden was not named in the starting lineup, causing Man City's creativity to decline.
Although Rayan Cherki came on and helped The Citizens create more pressure, Haaland still missed the only clear opportunity he had.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the championship race, Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres is shining. His late goal in the victory over Everton could become a turning point in the title race.
Haaland is still Man City's most important factor. But when this striker does not score, Guardiola's team also has difficulty winning. And this season, that could make them lose the Premier League title.
The championship race? We will continue. This team has a great spirit and will always fight. After great efforts in the match in Madrid, the players still showed determination. We are a strong team and will not stop.
If the team's efforts ultimately fail, we will congratulate the champion. But before that happens, we must strive for the team" - Guardiola shared.
