Not a League Two player anymore! How Erling Haaland has taken his all-round game to new levels for Man City

Pep Guardiola said one should always be careful when criticising strikers like Erling Haaland. All it takes, the Manchester City boss explained, is for them to score again and "shut your mouth". Lately, however, Haaland has been shutting mouths without scoring. Over the last year he has turned into the complete forward, an even more frightening prospect to opponents than he was before, and an even greater asset to City's hopes of winning a quadruple.

Gone are the days when Haaland would mostly lurk around the opposition penalty area and only focus on finding the net, relying heavily on his fellow attackers like Kevin De Bruyne to feed him or pouncing on loose balls.

He is now as likely to set a goal up now as he is to score one. Haaland has provided three assists in his last four Premier League games, while only Bruno Fernandes has set up more goals in the English top-flight this season. Haaland’s seven assists leave him one shy of his best-ever tally, which came in 2022-23, and there are still 11 league games to go.

His cross to Nico O’Reilly for City’s second goal in Saturday's win over Newcastle raised plenty of eyebrows as it was the type of move you would expect Bernardo Silva or Rayan Cherki to pull off. It proved to be the winning goal that kept City breathing down Arsenal’s necks at the top of the table, but it was only one of the many vital interventions Haaland made in the game.

He won 12 duels, more than in any game in his career, while he also made the most clearances of any City player and took more touches (43) than he had in any previous Premier League match.

'Scary thought'

Wayne Rooney was thoroughly impressed. "He was all over the pitch," the Manchester United legend said on 'Match of the Day'. "He is adapting his game slightly. He is becoming more of an all-round centre-forward, rather than just a goal-scorer."

Haaland is also mucking in as an extra defender at set-pieces and whenever City are under the cosh. With the Premier League becoming ever more physical and with more and more games being decided by set plays, Haaland’s 6'4" frame and power make him an even more valuable asset than in previous years.

He has been involved in an average 3.9 aerial duels per game this season, an increase on 3.55 per game in 2024-25 and 2.89 in 2023-24. And it was Haaland who took responsibility in defence when Newcastle were laying siege to City’s box and throwing goalkeeper Nick Pope into the mixer.

"Defensively, when you need him, back in his own box, strong, powerful," added Rooney. "Last minute, last kick of the game, the ball comes into the penalty area, he's there, great header out. Normally with Haaland, you would see his heatmap, and it would be central, just around the penalty area. He was everywhere. He is finding new things in his game, which is a scary thought."

Not a new trend

While the Newcastle game was when the world truly noticed Haaland's all-round improvements, it was by no means his first all-action performance of the season. Haaland has been taking on new responsibility since the start of the campaign after he was named as one of City's captains by Guardiola, an unprecedented step by the coach given Haaland had just turned 25.

Haaland has been much more of a team player since the season began, but because he was scoring so often, netting 19 goals in his first 15 matches, it was his raw statistics that understandably took the headlines. September's 3-0 win over Manchester United in the derby was a case in point; Haaland made six clearances in the box that day, but his two goals in the second half obviously got more attention.

The same was true when City drew 1-1 at Arsenal later that month. Haaland scored the opening goal and sparked the move way behind the halfway line by releasing Tijjani Reijnders, sprinting forward to collect a pass from the Dutchman and fire home. Once City went ahead, they sat back and focused on stopping Arsenal playing, and Haaland was crucial to that.

He also pressed selflessly, dispossessing Mikel Merino near the Arsenal area, which led to Reijnders firing at David Raya. Guardiola surprisingly took Haaland off midway through the second half for Nico Gonzalez, an unambitious although entirely logical move given City’s gameplan. However, given Gabriel Martinelli equalised in stoppage time, it backfired, and Haaland had been doing a very effective job in stifling the Gunners’ play.

'Incredibly generous'

Naturally, Haaland has not been producing all-action displays in every game. It is not sustainable for a player of his build to run up and down the pitch for 90 minutes twice a week, and he has had a bigger workload than usual due to Omar Marmoush being away at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning Haaland had to play in cup games that he would usually sit out.

In the majority of games City play, they are the ones attacking, and thus Haaland focusing on getting into the final third is the most obvious strategy. But when required in certain games where City have to withstand pressure, he is ready and willing to play a different kind of role.

As Guardiola put it after Newcastle: "This [victory] would not be possible without him. I’m not a big fan of getting Erling to defend but he helped us. I know afterwards how the people hugged him and celebrated with him and pay gratitude that he helped us. He’s an incredibly generous player."

Natural evolution

It was a performance that sat in contrast to other big games in years gone by, when if Haaland failed to score, he would be almost always be chastised.

Take Roy Keane’s infamous comments after City's 0-0 draw with Arsenal in 2024: "In terms of front of goal he's best in the world, but his general play is so poor. He's almost like a League Two player. That is the way I look at him. His general play has to improve. It will do, over the next few years. Being this brilliant striker is fantastic, but he has to improve his all-round game."

Haaland has certainly done that, although those that know him best say it has been a natural evolution rather than something he has been working on in training.

Haaland is in a very good place now in life, settled on and off the pitch. The 10-year contract he signed with City last January has given him clarity about his future and he has a deep appreciation and love for the club in his fourth season.

Being made one of the captains has given him that extra responsibility and he is in a unique position within the dressing room, given he is young enough to have a strong connection with the new players in a squad that has been overhauled over the last three transfer windows while being experienced enough to be regarded as a senior player by Guardiola and the leadership group.

In a good place

Haaland has another reason to be happy in football terms, as he will be heading to his first World Cup with Norway this summer. He is the main reason why, too, after scoring 16 goals in their eight qualifiers.

On a personal level, last season was a difficult one for Haaland not only because of of City’s results but also because of the death of family friend Ivar Eggja, who was like an uncle to him.

"How am I going to process it? It’s difficult. It’s sad that he’s no longer here. I will miss him for the rest of my life," Haaland said when asked about it earlier this season.

Around the same time as Eggja’s death, Haaland and his girlfriend were expecting their first baby, which, as any parents can attest, is an exciting but extremely stressful period. So too are the first few months after childbirth, full of sleepless nights and worry about what you are going to be like as a parent. The anxiety soon turns into untold joy, though, and with his son having celebrated his first birthday in December, Haaland is now experiencing the best moments fatherhood has to offer.

"With a kid, it makes me even better because I actually disconnect more than ever," he admitted in October. "I don’t think of football at all, which sometimes, when you are younger, you think of this and that. You worry a little bit about things. But when I go home, I relax even more. I think I need to give a shout-out to my son."

New way to silence critics

With Haaland so settled, it is little wonder that he has unlocked different aspects of his game and become a more all-round striker. Criticism of Haaland often feels not entirely serious given his unprecedented scoring numbers. Even after going eight starts without an open-play goal around the turn of the year, he still sits on 22 Premier League goals and seven in the Champions League for the season.

He has scored 153 times in 184 games for City, numbers any striker would kill for. As Sergio Aguero told GOAL when asked about that recent run without non-penalty goals, "What slump are they talking about? The thing is, Haaland has spoiled everyone. Every season he scores more and more goals, so when he doesn't score in a couple of games, then he gets questioned."

Haaland has found a new way to answer critics with his improvements to his all-round game and his growing assist count. He will be shutting a lot more mouths from now until the end of the season, too.