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Haaland Wembley is waiting to break the wasteland, Manchester City needs to activate the magic striker to win the FA Cup

8:02pm, 17 May 2025【Football】

Haaland has scored 20 of the 23 England stadiums he has played in, and the Manchester City striker may not have insomnia for failing to score at Brentford at home - even though he still has an unfinished career at the other two.

Although he did not score in three attempts at Anfield, what really made Haaland feel the most painful was his record at Wembley Stadium. The Norwegian striker made his debut in this "Football Temple" four times but lost nothing, but in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace this Saturday, he will have his fifth chance to open his goal account under the Arch.

Or rather, he deserves this opportunity, Haaland has just returned last weekend after a six-week quit due to an ankle injury. After the team drew with Southampton 0-0, coach Guardiola admitted that the striker was in modest form and his starting position in the finals was not a foregone conclusion. Guardiola said: "I had a week to consider, but it's not sure yet. The fact is that he has not played for five weeks. He is tall and may take longer to recover. "

Haland's comeback at St. Mary's Stadium coincides with the end of five consecutive wins in various competitions. This draw further evidence of the argument that "Marcelona is stronger without Haaland". The data also seems to support this view: Without the super scorer, City averaged 2.2 goals per game this season, and when Haaland started, that number was 2 goals. Last season, he also showed a similar trend - Manchester City averaged 2.6 goals per game while Haaland was missing due to a metatarsal fracture; while he was 2.5 goals on the court.

In the seven games Haaland has missed recently, Manchester City remained unbeaten (six wins and one draw). In contrast, 12 of the 14 defeats in various competitions this season occurred when Haaland came on the court.

But as the old saying goes: There are three kinds of lies in the world - lies, damn lies and statistics. Haaland must appear on the final starter list, and what needs to prove himself now is the teammates in a sluggish state - they must improve their performance, deliver ammunition to the striker and help Manchester City win the FA Cup.

Ammunition supply crisis

Given Haaland's horrific goal efficiency, news about his failure to score often attracts more attention than goals. Therefore, it is really shocking to face Southampton, who lost 82 goals in the first 35 rounds of the Premier League this season and only had two clean sheets.

The Norwegian showed a good sense of running and a strong desire to score goals, but was repeatedly let down by his teammates. The crosses sent by Foden were ridiculously high; when Haaland and Doku joined forces to attack the Saints' defense, the Belgian winger's pass missed the opportunity; even Haaland's single-shot pass for Savignho was squandered by the Brazilian young player.

As former Welsh captain Ashley Williams said: "This was a frustrating afternoon for him (Haland). He looked hungry, but needed support. His teammates' passing quality was poor. He was powerless. He was in a sharp state, but no matter how good the striker was, he needed ammunition delivery. "

The cliff-like decline of creativity

The shortage of ammunition has become the theme throughout Manchester City this season. The top ten chances of the Premier League were not seen in the top ten. Only De Bruyne (14 times, tied for 13th) ranked in the top 20, Savignho (11 times, tied for 24th) ranked in the top 30, and B and Doku each tied for 39th.

The most disappointing thing is Foden - he, like Nunes, created only 7 excellent opportunities and tied for 53rd place. Haaland created 5 times himself (tying 93rd), and even goalkeeper Ederson (4 times) surpassed Gundogan (3 times) and Gallish (2 times). This is in stark contrast to the grand occasion when he won four consecutive championships last season: De Bruyne, who was injured for half a season, still tied for second with 21 excellent opportunities, 13 B-seaters and 10 Foden.

The mystery of the source of assists

Haaland's list of assists is also intriguing. His biggest "assist" is himself - scoring 5 goals through supplementary shots or bargains (no official assist record). Nunes and Savignho each contributed 5 assists and tied for the top spot in the team, followed by 4 penalty kicks. Apart from these three, only Ederson, Rico Lewis and B-seat gave Haaland more than one assist.

Former golden partner De Bruyne (combined with 20 goals in the first two seasons) assisted the Golden Boot winner only once this season, and was on par with Foden, Doku, Guvadior and Nico O'Reilly.

The disappointing link

It is particularly important to point out that Foden and Harland lack a tacit understanding. The England international has only three assists in the Premier League + Champions League this season, which has been significantly reduced from 11 times last season and the 2021/22 season (6 times). His personal goals also plummeted from 27 goals, which won the Premier League season best, to 10 goals, which may be the biggest crux of Manchester City's league lag behind Liverpool in the league this season and was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers (only ranked 22nd in the Champions League group stage).

De Bruyne's long-term injury is equally far-reaching and slow condition, and Guardiola's poor signing and over-reliance on veterans in the summer can also be blamed. The roar of "disastrous season" Haaland has done his best to carry the offensive banner with 30 goals (three times that of second-scorer Foden). After the draw with Southampton, his anger reflected the team's dilemma: "We lost our inner hunger, I didn't do well myself, I didn't help the team, the injury wave came at a bad time, but it couldn't be an excuse. The club sets extremely high standards, so this season is a disaster - it's enough to say everything, we must rekindle the flames next season. "

The undisputed starter

As Haaland's Norwegian teammate said, this man who "eats as bears" never lacks hunger. Any questioning whether Manchester City has better data is pale in the face of his terrifying efficiency of 120 goals in 139 games. There is no need to discuss whether Haaland should start in the FA Cup final. What Guardiola really needs to solve is how to make his teammates reactivate the power of this super shooter, help him break the Wembley curse, and get the trophy in his pocket.