Every forward, regardless of how impressive their record may be, will endure the odd barren run in the goal-getting stakes. Even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo do not score in every game.
It has felt at times as though the mere presence of Erling Haaland on the pitch has put Manchester City in front across any given fixture – at home and abroad.
He may look like a machine, and often perform like one, but he is human. That means there are, and always will be, chinks in his Viking armour.
Most Fearsome Forwards on the Planet
The 2025-26 campaign is considered to have been something of a testing one for City, but they remain in contention for major honours on multiple fronts, and Premier League betting odds have them no longer than 11/4 to land another domestic title.
Haaland has opened up a gap at the top of the scoring charts and continues to earn plenty of favour in football betting tips that focus on Golden Boot markets.
If recent history has taught us anything, it is that writing off one of the most fearsome forwards on the planet is foolish in the extreme.
He has tended to go no more than a matter of minutes without finding the target since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, but there are a few blots on his otherwise impressive copybook.
Pep Guardiola knows that his No.9 is far too good and full of self-belief to let any droughts in the final third knock his confidence.
With a wealth of creativity pulling the strings at City, as ammunition aplenty is provided from deep, it will always be only a matter of time before Haaland gets his mojo back.
In many ways, given how simple he has made the art of goalscoring look through the majority of his club and international career, questions of his contribution will only serve to make an enigmatic character even more determined to succeed.
He retains the full support of his manager, with any detractors being advised to bite their lip before they are made to eat healthy portions of humble pie in public.
Guardiola has warned that strikers “will make you silent” when being challenged, with there nothing that they like more than turning doubters into believers.
City’s boss has added on Haaland, with there no chance of a man tied to a 10-year contract in Manchester fading out of the spotlight: “He will score for the rest of his life, that’s for sure.”
Fastest Player to 100 Premier League Goals
The Blues will not be overly concerned about any drought from Haaland, as the last time that he suffered one, they picked up three trophies.
The Norway international went five games without finding the back of the net at the end of the 2022-23 campaign – with that run including FA Cup and Champions League finals.
He finished said season with 52 efforts to his name and has since become the fastest player to reach 100 Premier League goals – requiring just 111 games in which to hit that milestone.
Haaland has City back in the hunt for more medals and will know that any supposed dips in form are unlikely to prevent him from enhancing what is already a mightily impressive and particularly glittering CV.
