Arteta Unveils Arsenal's Secret Strategy to Stop Unstoppable Goal Machine Haaland

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expressed concern that the most effective method to neutralize Manchester City's relentless striker Erling Haaland is to cut off the supply lines feeding him opportunities.

Haaland has made a scorching beginning to the 2025–26 season, netting six goals in City's opening five fixtures while also scoring six times in two international appearances for Norway. The 25-year-old striker reached his 50th Premier League home goal last term and achieved a milestone of fifty Champions League strikes during the week, setting a new record as the quickest player to reach that impressive tally in the tournament's history.

Pep Guardiola could hardly be criticized for drawing parallels between his dependable goalscorer and icons like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Similar to that legendary pair, Arteta acknowledged that the battle to contain Haaland is already lost once he receives possession.

Discussing City's upcoming visit to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Arsenal manager was questioned about his strategy to halt what appears unstoppable. "There are numerous elements you must execute perfectly," Arteta reflected. "He's a footballer who requires minimal space, time or opportunities to create significant chances, particularly within and around the penalty area. Often, cutting off the source proves most effective, and we must implement this approach once more."

Disrupting the passing channels to Haaland proves more challenging in practice than theory. Without Kevin De Bruyne, another frequent tormentor of the Gunners, there isn't a single obvious creative pipeline for the powerful Norwegian. Haaland's six strikes for City this campaign have come from assists by six separate teammates.

Phil Foden delivered the clever chip that allowed Haaland to guide his header beyond Napoli's Vanja Milinković-Savić on Thursday evening. The England star has experienced a revival recently and will undoubtedly be among the creative forces Arteta aims to silence.

Arsenal have seldom managed to avoid Haaland's lethal finishing ability. City's number 9 has recorded four goals across six Premier League encounters against the Gunners, finding the net in both meetings last season.