Haaland can use trusted training routine to revive Man City form

Pep Guardiola backs Erling Haaland to improve

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Erling Haaland is not used to having worries in front of goal, but the Manchester City star is enduring his most difficult period since joining the club in the summer after initially setting the Premier League alight. The £51million signing took the world by storm with an incredible run of finding the net, but more recently, the goals have dried up and critics are starting to pile the pressure on.

It seems ridiculous to suggest Haaland is going through a rough patch in front of goal, having scored 26 Premier League goals in just 23 appearances this season.

But there are signs that it is becoming tougher to add to his tally, given that he has failed to score in seven of his last 10 games.

Of course, that overlooks the fact he bagged a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Wolves last month in addition to two more goals and two assists for his team-mates, suggesting that Haaland is buying into the team-centric philosophy at City – contrary to some arguments made against the 22-year-old.

But the striker has missed some gilt-edged opportunities of late, not to mention his shocking miss against Nottingham Forest, and that is unlike him. With the score at 1-0, Haaland volleyed against the post with his first effort and then, with the goal at his mercy on the rebound, he blazed over from inside the six-yard box.

With his favoured left foot betraying him, Haaland may feel inclined to return to training up his right foot after undergoing individual training with ex-Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund striker Alexander Zickler, as reported by The Mirror.

Haaland has worked with the German in his career to improve his weaker foot after Zickler pointed out his lack of goals on that foot and worked alongside him prior to signing for City. And the training has worked wonders for the striker; he has found the net six times with his right foot this season.

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City coach Pep Guardiola backed the Norwegian frontman to bounce back by rediscovering his lethal touch in front of goal against RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

“He’s positive and he’s going to go next time,” Guardiola told the club’s official website. “All these type of games in this competition it’s a question of preparation in order to face the opponents and to face this game.

“[Against Forest,] we had the chances like the other ones. Unfortunately we dropped points.”

Part of Haaland’s recent decline in the goalscoring charts has had little to do with his work off the ball, with the powerful striker making intelligent runs up top. But City know they must start feeding their star man if they are to continue battling on all fronts this season in the Premier League and in Europe.

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