Analysis: Mancity fall? Haaland’s ‘Stay Humble, Eh’ Taunt to Arteta Comes Back to Haunt Them!

It was meant to be a moment of triumph, a display of dominance. When Erling Haaland shouted “Be humble” in Mikel Arteta’s face after Manchester City’s clash with Arsenal in September, it was supposed to reinforce City’s superiority over the Gunners. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, that moment has come back to haunt them, symbolizing the beginning of a downward spiral that has put their Premier League title defense in serious jeopardy.

Everything seemed perfect in City’s world in the opening 20 minutes of that match. Haaland, as clinical as ever, found the net, marking his 100th goal for the club. The defending champions appeared poised to secure yet another statement victory, one that would have cemented their status as the dominant force in English football. However, the match quickly turned into a nightmare.

By the end of that fateful afternoon, City had lost not only their advantage but also one of their most irreplaceable players—Rodri—to a serious knee injury. Playing with 10 men, they barely scraped a 1-1 draw, with John Stones salvaging a point deep into stoppage time. It was a frustrating result, but few could have predicted that it would be the turning point in their season.

What followed was a stretch of inconsistency that no one expected from Pep Guardiola’s side. Without Rodri anchoring the midfield, City became uncharacteristically vulnerable. Their struggles continued as they dropped points against Newcastle, Fulham, Wolves, and Southampton. Even a run of nine consecutive wins wasn’t enough to fully restore their confidence, as defensive fragility continued to plague them.

Since the draw against Arsenal, City have conceded 27 goals in 19 matches—a worrying statistic for a team that once prided itself on defensive solidity. They have managed to keep clean sheets in only four of those games, and even then, those performances came against weaker opposition in Wolves, Southampton, Everton, and Ipswich Town.

The absence of Rodri has left a gaping hole in midfield, exposing City’s backline in ways rarely seen under Guardiola. The summer signings, intended to add depth, have failed to make the desired impact. The likes of Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic have struggled to adapt, leaving City vulnerable to quick counterattacks and direct play.

Meanwhile, defensive stalwarts like Kyle Walker and Ruben Dias have been shadows of their former selves. Walker, once a key figure in Guardiola’s system, has looked increasingly error-prone, while Dias, Stones, Nathan Aké, and Manuel Akanji have all had their own injury and form-related issues. The defensive frailties have compounded City’s problems, making it far easier for opponents to find gaps and exploit them.

At the heart of City’s struggles is Haaland’s alarming dip in form. The Norwegian striker, who seemed unstoppable in the early part of the season, has found goals much harder to come by. While his finishing remains lethal, he has been far less involved in City’s attacking play, largely due to the team’s diminished control in midfield.

Earlier in the season, Haaland was averaging 5.2 shots per game and had 8.2 touches in the opponent’s penalty area per match. Since the Arsenal game, those numbers have dropped to 3.8 shots and 6.9 penalty-area touches per game, highlighting how City’s dysfunction has affected their talisman’s effectiveness.

His conversion rate has also taken a massive hit. In the first two months of the season, he scored 10 goals from just 26 shots, an astonishing conversion rate of over 40%. However, since the Arsenal match, he has managed only eight goals from 65 attempts, with his conversion rate plummeting to 12.7%—right in line with the league average.

Before the draw against Arsenal, Haaland was scoring a goal every 80 minutes in the Premier League, a staggering rate that made him the most feared striker in Europe. In the 19 games since, that figure has ballooned to 186.3 minutes per goal, reflecting his struggles and City’s overall decline.

Guardiola has long preached that attacking and defending are interconnected, and City’s current predicament proves that theory right. When City control possession with precision, they suffocate opponents, win the ball back quickly, and create a constant supply line for Haaland. But when their build-up falters, they leave themselves exposed to counters, forcing Haaland to drop deeper, limiting his effectiveness.

City’s defensive weaknesses have also forced Guardiola into tactical compromises. With an unreliable backline, he has experimented with different setups, sometimes deploying three-at-the-back formations or using unconventional midfield pairings. However, none of these adjustments have restored City’s balance, and their vulnerability remains glaring.

The irony in all of this is that Haaland’s infamous “Be humble” taunt to Arteta was supposed to reinforce City’s superiority. Instead, it has become a painful reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football. Arsenal, instead of crumbling under the weight of City’s dominance, have used that moment as motivation, growing stronger while Guardiola’s side have stumbled.

Now, with the title race wide open and City showing no signs of their former invincibility, Guardiola faces one of the biggest challenges of his managerial career. Can he find a way to restore City’s fluidity and defensive solidity? Or will this season mark the beginning of a decline for the reigning champions?

Whatever happens next, one thing is certain: Haaland’s words will not be forgotten. If City fail to reclaim their dominance, that infamous taunt will go down as the moment when the tide turned, not just for the season, but possibly for the balance of power in the Premier League.