A player who scored 83 goals in 92 matches on all fronts for Man City in the past two years cannot be a bad player. Even in his first season playing for “The Cityzens”, Haaland continuously broke scoring records, ending the season with a great treble.

Last October, fans created a petition to remove Haaland from matches. 2 million signatures unanimously banned the Norwegian striker from playing.

“Erling Haaland is like an alien. He is so strong, taller, faster than any striker before,” the Telegraph quoted an anonymous coach working in the Premier League last year.

After the Brazilian Ronaldo era, not many players were described as “alien-like”. Perhaps, it was Lionel Messi and only the Argentine superstar. Even Cristiano Ronaldo has never been compared to a “player from extraterrestrial”.

Haaland’s talent is overstated?

Doubting Haaland’s talent is the worst mistake. Any club in the world wants to have a top goalscorer like the Norwegian star. An excellent number 9..

However, the truth sometimes does not reflect everything. Haaland is good, but not a world-class player. An all-round offensive star. Someone who can stand on the same table with big names like Ronaldo, Messi, Thierry Henry, Romario or Marco van Basten.

When he doesn’t score, Haaland is said to not know what else to do.

Jamie Carragher – former Liverpool midfielder – once made such an opinion in a commentary on the Telegraph . There, the biggest problem that prevents Haaland from becoming a world-class player lies in his ability to contribute to the overall gameplay.

Carragher took Thierry Henry, Luis Suarez or Harry Kane as examples, saying that these names, in addition to their excellent scoring ability, also contribute a lot to the offensive front. From Henry, Suarez to Kane, they are rarely bullied by the opposing defender many times.

Haaland’s case is different. After Virgil van Dijk, William Saliba came to Antonio Rudiger. They all successfully blocked Haaland, making the Norwegian spearhead mute, leading to the harsh conclusion: Haaland is actually not too scary.

For Haaland, the huge number of goals this striker scored for Man City over time could accidentally exaggerate his own talent, causing fans to be caught up in the blind belief that the Norwegian striker is too different. compared to the rest. However, when lifting the velvet curtain, did anyone pay attention to the details of the satellites surrounding Haaland full of “playmaker” players – players who create play – class?

Kevin de Bruyne can always create creative, highly damaging passes to destroy all defenses for the striker above. Jack Grealish or Bernardo Silva also possess the ability to set the table well. When needed, Rodri can completely advance, thereby launching high-class shots.

More importantly, a world-class name always has performances that surprise everyone in big matches. Haaland lacks this. Four times he met Real Madrid in the Champions League, the former Borussia Dortmund star muted his voice.

At Etihad Stadium on April 18, Haaland only had 21 touches of the ball in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid. Statistics make fans think that the 23-year-old striker was lost in the overwhelming position created by Man City. In total, “The Cityzens” made 846 passes, but none came from Halaand until the 37th minute.

In both matches against Real Madrid, Haaland only made 2 shots on target and lost the ball 14 times, higher than the number of accurate passes this player made (11). Statistics show that the former Borussia Dortmund star absolutely does not belong in the top match of world football.

Last season, Man City won the Champions League, but since the semi-finals, Haaland has not scored any goals. Despite being lackluster in the European Cup, Haaland also did not show his strength in the Premier League this season. In clashes with Liverpool and Arsenal – two direct competitors for the championship title, the 23-year-old striker was disappointing, even compared to a “Second-class player” by former MU midfielder Roy Keane. “.

Haaland’s big flaw

When Haaland fails, it doesn’t mean this player is too bad. But as the series of silent matches continued, it became clear that there was a problem.

Former midfielder Carragher believes that Haaland belongs to the classic number 9 model – a rare commodity in world football. A type of player that has been extinct for many years. Therefore, he called the Norwegian striker “world-class goalscorer”, not “world-class player”.

Haaland still needs to improve a lot in his playing style.

As Carragher puts it, besides scoring goals, Haaland doesn’t know what else to do. Thierry Henry – World Cup and EURO champion of the French team – also commented that his junior is not the most comprehensive striker he has ever seen. Furthermore, the 23-year-old striker’s range of activities sometimes puts him in a difficult position.

Specifically, Henry analyzed that Haaland always chooses to hang around hot spots on the field. The space where midfielders often concentrate highly and play fiercely. What happened in the two matches against Real Madrid says it all.

According to Henry, Haaland needs to create his own playing space, by simply moving left or right. In this way, the Norwegian striker can escape the clutches of opposing midfielders.

Meeting Real Madrid, Haaland always chooses to compete directly with Rudiger. It is an extremely difficult task because the opponent possesses an extremely aggressive, strong and proactive playing style. However, the Norwegian striker chose spaces that put himself in a direct confrontation with Rudiger.

“All players can improve. I believe that, through the way players practice and play. With Haaland, there is one thing that he never improves on his own. This striker always chooses his position. standing close to Rudiger. Therefore, in situations where the ball comes to Haaland, Rudiger always rushes in very quickly, using strength to compete,” Henry commented on CBS Sports .

Further analyzing Haaland, Carragher believes that Haaland needs to improve other skills, specifically participating in team play. If Haaland only cares about breaking the scoring record, Haaland doesn’t need to change anything. As for the Norwegian striker’s desire to win the Golden Ball and play for Real Madrid in the future, it is difficult to do so.

“Haaland must add more skills and playing style to make the leap to class. To take on the role of striker at a club of Real Madrid’s caliber, he must be a versatile player. Look at what Karim What Benzema did is clear. Mbappe – the player who is expected to join Real this summer – is not simply a scoring machine,’ Carragher stated.

At the age of 23, Haaland still has a future ahead to improve himself. At this time, the red alert has turned on the Norwegian spearhead – after a series of recent disappointing matches. But every warning bell has an end, if the people involved are willing to change.

For Haaland, the problem is how he will change.