Former Manchester City manager predicts decline in Erling Haaland goalscoring output | OneFootball

Erling Haaland will end the 2025/26 season with under 30 goals for Manchester City, one of the club’s former managers has predicted in a new interview.

The build-up to the new Premier League campaign continues to be dominated by speculation surrounding City’s ability to respond after losing their domestic crown to Liverpool last season.

Haaland, who still finished as the club’s top scorer despite a slight downturn in goalscoring prowess from his previous two seasons at the club, is naturally central to conversations about the team’s bounce-back credentials.

While much of the discourse across pre-season has focused on Manchester City’s structural and tactical reshaping, others have questioned whether this season marks a turning point in the Norwegian’s exceptional productivity in front of goal.

Erling Haaland has surpassed 30 goals in all of his previous campaigns in England and enters 2025/26 as the focal point of Manchester City’s attack once again despite the restructuring of various areas of the squad.

However, some believe the wider Premier League has begun to adapt to his threat, and that further resistance from opposition defenders, coupled with squad changes behind him, may result in a reduced output in front of goal – at least by the standards he has set since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

Speaking on behalf of CLUB, former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce anticipates that Erling Haaland will not find himself in as free-scoring form during the forthcoming campaign, and could finish the season with under 30 goals.

“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,” said Pearce.

He continued, “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.

“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. They’ve got to create for him, that is for sure.”

Pearce added, “If City finish top of the league, he’ll be scoring high goals.There’s no doubt about that. If City don’t win the league and finish third, fourth, wherever they finish, then maybe his goals tell you a big deal.”

The comments arrive after Michael Owen expressed similar doubts over City’s title credentials for 2025/26, describing the squad as being in “transition” and tipping Pep Guardiola’s side to miss out once again. That sentiment echoes much of the current noise around the Etihad Stadium, where fans and pundits alike continue to watch for signs of a new cycle forming.

As for Haaland, he remains firmly established as the team’s primary threat up front, although there has been growing expectation around fellow striker Omar Marmoush – particularly following his exemplary campaign with both City and Eintracht Frankfurt last season.

If Pearce’s prediction proves accurate, the burden will fall increasingly on others in the squad to lift the goalscoring responsibility. And with changes behind the striker – including the exit of Jack Grealish being explored and possible rotation in midfield – City may need to find fresh sources of creativity to keep Haaland operating at elite levels.

Build your dream football club with free-to-play mobile game CLUB Game.

Sign real world players to your squad and win points for real-world performances, take control in the boardroom to shape the club and compete online against friends and owners around the world.

Download for Apple and Android in the app store now.