- Manchester City drew 0-0 against an impenetrable Arsenal defense.
- Pep Guardiola’s team could only hit one shot on goal out of their 12 attempts
- Why a defeat against Arsenal will be curtains for Manchester City’s title defense – Listen to the Podcast Everything is beginning
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Roy Keane offered a scathing assessment of Erling Haaland’s performance in Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad.
The Premier League’s top scorer endured a frustrating afternoon against the thrifty Gunners defence, which limited him to just a few touches during the match.
However, Keane believes the display is indicative of Haaland’s overall quality in open play and demanded his game improve across the board.
“The levels of his general game are very poor, and not just today, I think his general passing, headers or whatever in terms of facing the goal are the best in the world.” He said on Sky Sports after the match.
“But his overall game for a player like that is so poor, not just today, that I think he has to improve to make him almost like a League Two player.”
Erling Haaland endured a frustrating afternoon as he failed to make his mark on the game as Man City drew 0-0 with Arsenal.
Roy Keane (left) criticized the 23-year-old’s overall game and demanded he improve
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“That’s how I see it: His overall game has to improve and that’s how it will be for years to come.” There have been brilliant and fantastic forwards. But he has to improve his game in every way.”
Haaland wasn’t the only one who struggled to lay a glove on Arsenal’s defence, but his inability to participate in the build-up phase was particularly notable on Sunday afternoon.
The 23-year-old had 23 touches in the match, with no shots on goal or key passes, as the home team moved two points behind leaders Liverpool at the top.
Arsenal’s central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel were almost always close to the striker throughout the tie.
Despite leading the Premier League scoring charts with 18 goals (two more than a trio of players tied for second), Haaland has been criticized for his all-round game and glaring misses.
He scored the third goal in the 3-1 win over Manchester United earlier this month, but only after an incredible miss from two yards out in the first half.
Haaland has also struggled to replicate his goalscoring exploits even from the early part of this campaign, when he scored in nine of his first 15 league games.
Since a long layoff due to a stress fracture either side of the new year, he has found the net in three of his nine outings and scored a brace in just one. His numbers are still impressive, but they represent a drop from his previous production.
Haaland was left out of the game due to Arsenal’s aggressive defensive plan on Sunday
The striker only had two attempts at goal, both blocked, on a frustrating afternoon against Arteta’s team.
On Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s team failed to score at home for the first time in a league match since October 2021 and only had one shot on target in 12 attempts.
They finished the match with an xG of 0.95 despite having 72 per cent of the possession against Mikel Arteta’s team.
The result keeps City in third place, one point behind the Gunners but two behind Liverpool, who staged a 2-1 comeback victory over Brighton earlier in the day.
