EPL: Will Haaland end 346 minutes of goal drought on Saturday, Arsenal favoured to gun down Chelsea

Oct 21, 2023 - 07:05

Manchester City's poor form - three defeats in the last four games - has coincided with Rodri's absence through suspension... and Erling Haaland's goalscoring slump. Will the slump end against Brighton on Saturday?

The former Molde, Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund player has gone three games without scoring against Arsenal (1-0), RB Leipzig (1-3) and Wolverhampton (2-1).

In total, he has gone 346 minutes without scoring. Since 23 September, almost a month ago, in the victory over Nottingham Forest (2-0), he has not scored for his club. A slump that Cristiano Ronaldo (40) has taken advantage of to overtake Haaland (39) as top scorer in 2023.

"I came here to win the Champions League... I said it and we did it," boasted Erling Haaland in The Telegraph. The truth is that the start of his second season at the Etihad Stadium, despite being the top scorer in the Premier League with eight goals, has not been as brilliant as his debut.

"Sometimes it's a bit stressful. I'm starting to get a bit tired of hearing my own name," Haaland complained recently.

"It's a good thing that people are more surprised when I don't score than when I do. In the Norwegian media when I don't score headlines read: 'No goals!'. That's a good thing. I'm not complaining at all, because I signed for Manchester City to score goals."

The reality is that any drop in form from utter greatness will be greatly magnified. As previously mentioned, Haaland is still the current top scorer in the Premier League, it's just he set his own bar so incredibly high last term.

Haaland's numbers in the first eight Premier League games:

2022-23 vs. 2023-24 season

Goals: 11 / 8

Minutes played: 575 / 709

Goals per minute: 52,27 / 88,62

Expected goals: 6.52 / 7.94

Goal Efficiency: 40.74% / 25% Goal Efficiency: 40.74% / 25% Shots: 27 / 32

Total shots: 27 / 32

Shots on target: 17 / 18

Shots inside the box: 24 / 32

Shots outside the area: 3 / 0

Great chances scored: 10 / 6

Great chances missed: 4 / 9

Touches of the ball: 156 / 174

Touches in the opponent's box: 48 / 51

In the Premier League, it is more of the same. All of his numbers are worse than they were a year ago. He scores fewer goals (11-8) with fewer minutes played (575-709) and his efficiency, while still high, is noticeably lower (40.74%-25%).

His expected goal rate (XG) this season (7.94) is perfectly in line with the goals he has scored (8). Last season, by contrast, his league goals scored rate (11) was almost double (6.52) the goals he was expected to score based on the quality of the chances he generated.

In London, Chelsea hosts Arsenal this Saturday looking to grab Mauricio Pochettino's first significant scalp as boss.

After a difficult start for the Argentine, the Blues appear to be heading in the right direction.

But with Arsenal riding high from their 1-0 win over Manchester City last time out, this will be a huge test of the Blues' mettle.

Stamford Bridge has been a surprisingly happy hunting ground for the Gunners in recent years.

Arsenal have won three times in a row at the Bridge, including a 1-0 triumph last year.

The Blues' last win on home soil against their North London foes came all the way back in August 2018, when Marcos Alonso's late effort sealed a 3-2 triumph.

A similar outcome this Saturday would hugely strengthen Pochettino's position.

Arsenal go into this weekend's match having won six and drawn two of their eight Prem games so far this term.

The Gunners beat Man City 1-0 before the international break, having defeated Bournemouth 4-0 in their previous Prem match.

In between they were beaten 2-1 by Lens in the Champions League.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have strung together three wins on the bounce.

They overcame Brighton 1-0 in a low-key League Cup clash, before winning 2-0 at Fulham and 4-1 at Burnley.

Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka after the winger sustained a hamstring injury against Lens in the Champions League.

He subsequently missed the Gunners' clash with City, and Saka was sent home by England after reporting for international duty.

William Saliba withdrew from the France squad with a toe injury but Arsenal are hopeful that he will be available.

The Gunners could have Leandro Trossard back, but Jurrien Timber remains a long-term absentee.

Raheem Sterling has shone for Chelsea this season.

The winger seems to have struck an instant rapport with boss Pochettino and looks more himself compared to last term.