9 | Erling Haaland - 2025/26

[DD93]

This guy knows how to score and that's it.

Needs a team, that is strong and keeps opponent defending deep and out of 10 moments scores 5, 6 or 7. If he is in good form 8 or 9.

He isn't Tevez or Aguero, able to influence game somehow other than finishing moments created by others.
Or Gabriel Jesus, fighting and helping in midfield and etc.

But he is world class and world class players are what we lack, therefore we need him.

We need to sort out other positions. Stable defence - stable midfield - stable wings and then, Haaland will help us to win the titles.

Today we were a chaotic team.

Midfield full of newbies and Marmoush-Bobb and 2 underdeveloped players in Rico and Trafford.

We need stable, calm, disciplined team. Maybe not entertaining, not light, but strong and heavy and Haaland should be the main point of concentration. We should feed him with the moments and he will score most of them.

I would rather bet on that, rather than seeing that clown Doku making useless dribbles.

And Foden and OK Reijnders.

Other players should work hard, keep ball and only Foden or Reijnders or Haaland should have permission to make actions in the final thirds.

Like it was in treble season.

Grealish and Bernardo keeping the ball, always safe passes, no 50-50 dribbles and only KDB, Gundogan or Haaland had permission to speed up.

That's the formula. Efficiency and pragmatism.

 

[richards30]

I often wonder what they said to him to sign that deal. Because having Bernardo and Doku supporting him just won’t cut it.

I assume they we would sign world stars and he would win a shit ton of trophies going forward.

 

[K-Bo]

I still think it’s peps fault not his lol. Build the team around him he’s here for 1000 years. Still feels like pep is hanging on to a style of football that we don’t have the players for any more, and has the best goalscorer in the world looking helpless.

I agree he should practice his heading

 

[stan bowles]

Van De Ven and Romero handled him without much trouble today.

 

[Blue Hefner]

I thought he played well, particularly in the first half. But he can’t head the ball - that need to improve, sharpish

 

[01cravend]

I thought he played well, particularly in the first half. But he can’t head the ball - that need to improve, sharpish

We've been saying that for few years now, dont think hes suddenly going to turn into Tim Cahill overnight... Unfortunately he's simply shite at heading the ball and we'll keep pinging crosses to him more in hope than expectation.

 

[Lavinda Past]

He's not remotely a donkey. Pep doesn't use him properly.

I think we are both actually reaching the same conclusion at the end of the day. He's a big donkey under Pep Guardiola... In my opinion, he needs a different coach.

 

[madloaf]

I think we are both actually reaching the same conclusion at the end of the day. He's a big donkey under Pep Guardiola... In my opinion, he needs a different coach.

We agree on the last bit and for that I'm grateful.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Van De Ven and Romero handled him without much trouble today.

I think many of us knew that was going to be the case well before kick off.

Groundhog day.

 

[Belgian Flash]

Not with a bargepole.

Not to say that Haaland and Doku are better, purely because Vinicius and Rodrygo would kill any team spirit that exists at City.

Bad apples.

Rodrygo has a good character, very professional. Vini is volatile but when hes mentally in a good place top 3 player in the world. There is no racism on English stadiums or cynical hacking and provoking defenders so he wont lose his head.

We need an excuse to get Mbappe back to the left wing and Doku as a difference maker off the bench or on the right side. You need to free Marmoush and Foden in the middle and wing scorers. Win win but ofc never gonna happen because who thinks rationally nowadays:)

 

[SiMCFC]

Pep didn't know what to do with Ibra so sold him, he can't find a way to utilise Haaland to use his strengths...

If Pep is leaving at the end of next season, we just have to wait and see what a new managers ideas bring, see if they can get the best out of him again.

 

[chris85mcfc]

Will always score goals, but he seems to have lost that aggression that he had when he first joined us

I always thought he played the game with a bit of a snarl on his face, but these days it seems to have turned into a smile and a laugh, quite often with the opposition

Would love to see him get that aggression back, as it seemed to pump the crowd up a little bit

 

[hilts]

We won the treble with him. And with other players hitting their peak. The idea that he's the problem now misses the point in a way only a savinho shot understands

Didn't say he was a problem mate, I said its just different.

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

Deserved a goal

He put that on a plate for Marmoush who should have done better with the finish.

 

[skillman]

Wish he’d use his physicality more on long balls up towards him. He’s left 1v1 with defenders now because teams feel it’s a safe bet which is madness considering his size and build.

 

[Damanino]

he is generally way too nice on the pitch. the amount of times he is pushed out of balance, pulled at corners, man handled by smaller players, he really doesnt give it back enough. I would love to see him make defenders shit scared of his size but often is more of a friendly Obelix rather than a Godzilla lol.
likes of Ibra, Kane do make use of their elbows in clever ways, or manage to fall onto defenders to make them feel it. bit of dark arts.

 

[Pancake Arse]

Me personally I think we a lot better without him.
It's so predictable the way we play with him at the front.
He's currently more of a liability and can't even be relied on to take a pen.
His head has gone.

 

[VOOMER]

Haaland definitely isn't the problem. The system is the problem. He's a goalscorer and very little else, certainly not a very good footballer.

He's a luxury at City. If we don’t build the team and system around him, he's a waste of a shirt.

This one is on Pep 100%

If he can't adapt and we suffer then he is. But if actually buy

This guy knows how to score and that's it.

Needs a team, that is strong and keeps opponent defending deep and out of 10 moments scores 5, 6 or 7. If he is in good form 8 or 9.

He isn't Tevez or Aguero, able to influence game somehow other than finishing moments created by others.
Or Gabriel Jesus, fighting and helping in midfield and etc.

But he is world class and world class players are what we lack, therefore we need him.

We need to sort out other positions. Stable defence - stable midfield - stable wings and then, Haaland will help us to win the titles.

Today we were a chaotic team.

Midfield full of newbies and Marmoush-Bobb and 2 underdeveloped players in Rico and Trafford.

We need stable, calm, disciplined team. Maybe not entertaining, not light, but strong and heavy and Haaland should be the main point of concentration. We should feed him with the moments and he will score most of them.

I would rather bet on that, rather than seeing that clown Doku making useless dribbles.

And Foden and OK Reijnders.

Other players should work hard, keep ball and only Foden or Reijnders or Haaland should have permission to make actions in the final thirds.

Like it was in treble season.

Grealish and Bernardo keeping the ball, always safe passes, no 50-50 dribbles and only KDB, Gundogan or Haaland had permission to speed up.

That's the formula. Efficiency and pragmatism.

Erling's first touch is on a par with Edin. He is best when he can be played in and the game is open.
Our current squad is at its best when controlling and winning the ball back quickly when we lose it.
At times this requires and 4, or 5 man press. Today there wasn't any kind of coordinated press.

 

[Blue Hefner]

Played really well in the first half but he can’t head it!

 

[PeterBarnesShorts]

He’s sitting pretty on £400k a week for another 9 years,and is the only pure no9 at the club.This situation is hardly encouraging real determination and aggression.Silk pj’s and all that….