“Adrian Clarke examines key tactical considerations from the current season.
Could the absence of Rodri from Manchester City’s starting lineup in the last two matches have affected Haaland’s scoring threat?
While providing a simple “yes” would be too reductionist, it’s clear that the Spaniard’s suspension hasn’t been beneficial for their top scorer, who has struggled in the losses to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal.
Without Rodri’s midfield command and precise forward passing, it appeared that Craig Dawson and William Saliba found it easier to neutralize Haaland’s strengths.
Both center-backs adopted a confrontational and aggressive approach in containing the Norwegian, closely marking him whenever possible.
However, the primary concern for the champions was the absence of swift and high-quality service. Four of Haaland’s eight Premier League goals this season have originated from cutback crosses delivered from the byline.
Assists by Sergio Gomez against Fulham and Matheus Nunes against Nottingham Forest stand out. Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker also played their part in early-season Haaland goals by supplying passes from behind the defensive line.
Arsenal effectively prevented Manchester City from accessing the byline, keeping their play narrow, with very few touches occurring within the final 20 yards.
As indicated by the heatmap, the Gunners kept the visitors at bay, restricting their access to dangerous crossing positions.
Rodri’s early forward passes consistently break through defensive lines, creating opportunities to stretch the opposition beyond the last defender.
Despite missing the last two matches, Rodri’s five through-balls in the 2023/24 season place him among the top 10 players in Europe’s major leagues. Since joining City, he has consistently ranked high on the list of the division’s most progressive passers.
Rodri currently averages 27.1 successful passes into the final third per game, a figure six higher than any other teammate. This volume of passes helps maintain pressure and force opponents into errors, and it was noticeably absent in the losses to Wolves and Arsenal.
Two of Haaland’s other goals this season resulted from quick counterattacks where he was played through in one-on-one situations.
Bernardo Silva provided an assist in a 3-1 victory against West Ham United, and Julian Alvarez delivered a superb one-touch through ball against Fulham.
In the last two matches, Arsenal and Wolves displayed cautious possession play, minimizing risk-taking to prevent dangerous counterattacks. They also set up midfield blocks when possible to slow down Manchester City’s attacks.
On Sunday, Arsenal was only briefly pulled out of shape on a couple of occasions, allowing Haaland to isolate his marker one-on-one with space to exploit. Both times, Saliba used physicality to block Haaland’s path.
Physical contact is often necessary in such situations, as failing to do so usually results in a Haaland goal.
While Haaland is unlikely to endure a prolonged goal drought, upcoming opponents will have taken note of the past two matches. Robust defending against his at times static movement during the build-up phase has proven effective.
Collectively, opponents will focus on preventing City from delivering crosses in advanced areas and will have strategies to deny Haaland space to exploit beyond the last defender.
Nevertheless, Rodri’s imminent return is expected to revitalize Manchester City’s style of play, making them more challenging to defend against. These two defeats may also prompt Pep Guardiola to explore alternative methods of creating significant goal-scoring opportunities for Haaland.
His teams are known for their adaptability and unpredictability over the long term.