Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s prolific Norwegian striker, has been a goalscoring machine since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2022, consistently scoring in each of his previous campaigns in England. However, former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce has made a bold prediction, suggesting that the 25-year-old’s remarkable scoring run may see a dip in the 2025/26 Premier League season, potentially finishing with fewer than 30 goals.
His Explanation
Pearce expressed his belief that Haaland’s goalscoring output could decline due to the increasing tactical awareness of opposing defences. “Have defenders worked Haaland out? I think when you come in fresh and defenders haven’t seen you, I think it’s slightly easier for strikers. I think he’ll be in the 20s next year. There’s no doubt about that. But I’m not sure he’ll be as free scoring as he was,” Pearce stated.
Pearce’s reasoning centers on the idea that Premier League defenders and managers have had time to analyze Haaland’s playing style, making it harder for him to exploit spaces as he did in his earlier seasons. “Teams look at him and you think we need to deny him the room behind our back line as well. I say, coaches, managers and defenders have got clued up with him. They work players out,” Pearce explained. He added, “So I think year on year, it’s going to be tougher and tougher for him to score as readily as he has done in the stand. So, yeah, and a lot of that relies on how well the team do behind him.”
Haaland's Impact at City
Despite Pearce’s prediction, Haaland remains the cornerstone of Manchester City’s attack, even as the club undergoes a tactical and structural reshaping following a trophyless 2024/25 campaign. The Norwegian’s exceptional physicality, speed, and finishing have made him one of the world’s most feared strikers, with 91 goals in just 100 appearances for City by August 2024. However, Pearce’s comments highlight the challenges Haaland may face as opponents adapt to his presence, potentially forcing him to rely more heavily on his teammates’ creativity.
Pearce’s prediction also comes at a time when emerging talents, such as Omar Marmoush, are expected to share the goalscoring burden, potentially easing the reliance on Haaland’s output.
