9 | Erling Haaland - 2025/26

Belgian Flash said:
So instead of learning to anticipate it, he basically gave up and decided to stand around?

Again this is not only a Doku issue although its very prominent when he's the passer/crosser. Haaland is a player who thrives in open space, not in small areas. As I said before Osimhen easily scores this one and there is no offside because hes always on his toes unlike Haaland who just switches off when the run is not 100 percent obvious and he can't use his pace to do it.
Click to expand...

You need to be worrying about that Mbappe fella mate..
 
Belgian Flash said:
I am indeed, but its these fractions that separate elite from fine.
Click to expand...
Well, he’ll certainly go down as elite when it comes to goal scoring! Where i do agree with his movement could be better is as plenty of people have said on here before about him constantly going to the back post. It’s odd he still does it all the time when Doku has it. You’d think surely by now him or someone else would have figured out Doku’s left foot isn’t good enough to stand one up at the back post. Particularly when he’s going at full speed.
 
Belgian Flash said:
So instead of learning to anticipate it, he basically gave up and decided to stand around?

Again this is not only a Doku issue although its very prominent when he's the passer/crosser. Haaland is a player who thrives in open space, not in small areas. As I said before Osimhen easily scores this one and there is no offside because hes always on his toes unlike Haaland who just switches off when the run is not 100 percent obvious and he can't use his pace to do it.
Click to expand...
For Haaland to have scored so many goals in his career while permanently being flat footed is remarkable i think you'll agree.

You're talking about it as though he had a good 4 or 5 seconds to pick his move. It's a small incident that was over within a split second. You're trying too hard to micro analyse something that was over in the blink of an eye.

Haaland has scored shit loads of goals from a similar area before. It just didn't happen this time. Zero need or basis for using that one incident as your overall evidence for Haaland not being good enough in those areas. In fact it's a weird thing to do. As is repeatedly holding up Osimhen as the gold standard for that area of attacking. Must be why he's getting that to the mighty Galatasaray I suppose.

This incident is just one that's not really the fault of anyone. Doku is being crowded out as usual so all he can really do is flash whatever he can across the box, which he does but it's neither cross nor shot. Haaland can barely see where the ball is until it's pretty much past him so I don't see the merit in giving Haaland shit for not getting on the end of it. He's almost always on the end of those chances. He's missed several howlers from that area as well as scoring so he doesn't have an issue being on the end of those chances like you suggest.

Victor Osimhen as well man, christ almighty.
 
Craig said:
Well, he’ll certainly go down as elite when it comes to goal scoring! Where i do agree with his movement could be better is as plenty of people have said on here before about him constantly going to the back post. It’s odd he still does it all the time when Doku has it. You’d think surely by now him or someone else would have figured out Doku’s left foot isn’t good enough to stand one up at the back post. Particularly when he’s going at full speed.
Click to expand...
I still think Doku's delivery or timing of delivery is as hard to read now as it is when he signed.

I'd genuinely love to know what Haaland thinks about the level of service he gets from both wings, but in particular Doku because he's one who threatens more than anyone but I imagine he is a nightmare to read in terms of when a ball is coming into the box.
 
goatfeeder100 said:
Haalands goalscoring record is just fine now? Who's is elite then?
Click to expand...
I was not talking about his goalscoring record, I was talking about his movement in the box. And it happens often, this is just an example, its not an exception.

And Victor Osimhen is elite as it gets. Haaland is faster and has more finessed finishing, but Osimhen is a better header of the ball (best in the world by a margin) and more hardworking both in attacking and defensive movement. I'm not making evaluations by heuristics (like how "mighty" their teams are), just by observation.
 
Belgian Flash said:
I was not talking about his goalscoring record, I was talking about his movement in the box. And it happens often, this is just an example, its not an exception.

And Victor Osimhen is elite as it gets. Haaland is faster and has more finessed finishing, but Osimhen is a better header of the ball (best in the world by a margin) and more hardworking both in attacking and defensive movement. I'm not making evaluations by heuristics (like how "mighty" their teams are), just by observation.
Click to expand...
So Osimhen, who plays in the Turkish league, is as elite as it gets? Wouldn't he have been bought by an elite club if he was as elite as it gets?

You've used a poor example to highlight haaland not getting on the end of another poor Doku cross to deflect from Doku's own deficiency
 
Dazzle84 said:
So Osimhen, who plays in the Turkish league, is as elite as it gets? Wouldn't he have been bought by an elite club if he was as elite as it gets?

You've used a poor example to highlight haaland not getting on the end of another poor Doku cross to deflect from Doku's own deficiency
Click to expand...
Osimhen could play for my sunday league team and he would still be as elite as it gets. As I said I don't draw conclusions from indirect/circumstantial evidence aka heuristics.

And no it wasn't a poor example, it was a great example. If you don't move right before moment the player actually kicks the ball of course it will never get to you. Haaland does this time and time again, waiting for headers and rebounds in the box instead of anticipating where the ball will go. You need to check the meaning of the word anticipation, maybe then you will understand Haaland's problem.

I have no issue admitting Doku sucks at hitting the through ball to Haaland on the counter. He constantly misses the right moments where gaps emerge due to his poor vertical vision and tendency to carry the ball. Haaland is a historical great at this type of runs and Doku fails to find him over and over in these situations.

But when it comes to crosses and squarred balls from the byline, the issue is Haaland. And as I also said before, its not only Doku's crosses that can't reach him.
 
Belgian Flash said:
Osimhen could play for my sunday league team and he would still be as elite as it gets. As I said I don't draw conclusions from indirect/circumstantial evidence aka heuristics.

And no it wasn't a poor example, it was a great example. If you don't move right before moment the player actually kicks the ball of course it will never get to you. Haaland does this time and time again, waiting for headers and rebounds in the box instead of anticipating where the ball will go. You need to check the meaning of the word anticipation, maybe then you will understand Haaland's problem.

I have no issue admitting Doku sucks at hitting the through ball to Haaland on the counter. He constantly misses the right moments where gaps emerge due to his poor vertical vision and tendency to carry the ball. Haaland is a historical great at this type of runs and Doku fails to find him over and over in these situations.

But when it comes to crosses and squarred balls from the byline, the issue is Haaland. And as I also said before, its not only Doku's crosses that can't reach him.
Click to expand...
I know exactly what anticipation means and I'd wager that Haaland, who has scored 300 career goals already, has a decent idea. Although I suppose that's circumstantial evidence.

The issue he does have is inconsistent wingers who delay crosses multiple times

Osimhen is playing in Turkey at the age of 26. Whether you choose to accept heuristic evidence or not, he's clearly not elite as he's playing in a league that's not even top 5 when he should be at his absolute peak. He's also got 130 fewer goals than Haaland. That's direct evidence.
 
Belgian Flash said:
Osimhen could play for my sunday league team and he would still be as elite as it gets. As I said I don't draw conclusions from indirect/circumstantial evidence aka heuristics.

And no it wasn't a poor example, it was a great example. If you don't move right before moment the player actually kicks the ball of course it will never get to you. Haaland does this time and time again, waiting for headers and rebounds in the box instead of anticipating where the ball will go. You need to check the meaning of the word anticipation, maybe then you will understand Haaland's problem.

I have no issue admitting Doku sucks at hitting the through ball to Haaland on the counter. He constantly misses the right moments where gaps emerge due to his poor vertical vision and tendency to carry the ball. Haaland is a historical great at this type of runs and Doku fails to find him over and over in these situations.

But when it comes to crosses and squarred balls from the byline, the issue is Haaland. And as I also said before, its not only Doku's crosses that can't reach him.
Click to expand...
The more you speak the less sense you make. It's simply illogical to suggest that a guy with the utterly ludicrous goal record that Haaland has, lacks the ability to anticipate in the box. An overwhelming majority of his goals come in and around the box, where his anticipation of being in the right place at the right time is bettered by no one else in the world at present. Including Victor bloody Osimhen for god sake.

Talk about heuristics all you want to try and sound clever. Do you even know what that means or how it is in any way relevant to this debate. I've no idea where you're drawing your conclusions from with this, with or without 'heuristics '.
 
Last edited:
Bluewonder said:
Flabbergasting that there's a fella on here still arguing that ERLING HAALAND'S goalscoring instincts are shite, rather than Jeremy Doku's crossing isn't very good.

It's like saying Einstein's theories are stupid because the average bloke can't understand them.
Click to expand...
It is a bit bonkers when you put it like that isn't it. There's plenty other things about Haalands overall play you can give him grief for but his goalscoring instincts in and around the box are so far from top of the list it's ridiculous.
 
Craig said:
If he goes any sooner there he’s offside. He goes as the ball is played and is still miles off it and there’s not many quicker strikers about than Haaland.
Click to expand...

Belgian Flash said:
No, if you start your move/run in this exact moment instead of standing

View attachment 162456


its not offside. Hes literally behind the defenders, not even in line with them. Amazing that we are even debating this.
Click to expand...

Reasons this was not a goal in order of importance.

1) Doku’s poor pass selection.
2) Doku has no left foot, so he has to cross with his right which is always going to bend away from the striker and make the chance harder.
3) Doku overhits the cross.
4) Haaland anticipated a competent pass, not a ball he’d have to dive at the post to get.


The reason the debate about this is still going on is because one person in it has black, gold and red tinted glasses and can’t see #s 1-3 while everyone else can.
 
Dazzle84 said:
So Osimhen, who plays in the Turkish league, is as elite as it gets? Wouldn't he have been bought by an elite club if he was as elite as it gets?

You've used a poor example to highlight haaland not getting on the end of another poor Doku cross to deflect from Doku's own deficiency
Click to expand...
Yeah that poor cross he served up against Villa for our injury time winner, because Haaland isn’t on the end of everything doesn’t make Doku cross poor, like iv said many times there needs to be more than Haaland in the box.
 
No point discussing anything with people whose depth of analysis ends at "Haaland scored 300 goals in his life thats all you need to know". Carry on.
 
Belgian Flash said:
No point discussing anything with people whose depth of analysis ends at "Haaland scored 300 goals in his life thats all you need to know". Carry on.
Click to expand...
It's not as simple as that. The argument you're putting forward doesn't make sense based on the evidence that you're trying to put forward to support what you're saying.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top