9 | Erling Haaland - 2023/24

[JDV]

Do you think last seasons team was better than the centurion team or one that won the domestic treble? Or that rag team that won the treble was better than the 2008 team that had Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo etc?

All I know is that game against Madrid last year in the semi final was the best football I've ever seen considering the occasion and the opponent.

Doubt many previous City teams would have been able to match this performance

 

[city warrior]

FFS

90 games 82 goals 15 assists that's 97 goal contributions it's Messi & Ronaldo levels, better than anything Kun Aguero did.

Champions League top goal scorer.

Dortmund home Champions League scored a superb goal to win us the game.
5 fucking goals in R16 vs RB Leipzig
Bayern Qtr final Champs League 2 goals 1 assist
Palace 2-0 down brought us back to life scoring a Hatrick
Tottenham at home 2 down HT scored and helped us turn it around.
Hatrick against the rags which hadn't been done in years.
Arsenal away last season goal to finish off Arsenal
Arsenal again at home 1 goal 2 assists

This is just of the top of my head they'll be more but seriously stop listening to the media.

He's a world class striker and he's obviously heavily marked in the bigger games. Maybe it would also help if our midfield found him more as well.

We wouldn't have gotten anywhere fucking close to a treble or still be in with a shout this season without him.

UNBELIEVABLE SOME OF YOU.

All of those matches are from last season. Let's focus on medium-hard difficulty matches this season. This would be against the top 12 teams, difficult matches in UCL (Real Madrid, Leipzig), difficult matches in EFL and FA (Newcastle x2 and Tottenahm where Haaland was injured) + European supercup.

Haaland has played 16 PL games of that type + 4 games in UCL + 1 European Supercup + twice against Newcastle from Carabao or FA. A total of 23 higher difficulty matches. He scored in 7 of those games (9 goals in total for 0.4 goals every match). 23 of his goals come from easier matches.

And Haaland is way less impactful than other type of strikers, so if he doesn't score, he really is not that involved in the game.

My problem is that it seems for some people, he cannot be criticized, and he is our best player and the best striker of the world with no possible discussion, and we could have never won the treble without him. Even in the last season (where he was much better than this season), most City fans would never say he was our best player. The statement of: we wouldn't have gotten anywhere close to a treble without him is laughable (when we were 2 or 3 matches away from the treble the previous 2 seasons).

 

[Keeper!]

Sure, here you go.

30 goals in 37 games for us this season, and you “struggle to see what he’s adding” and that he “needs to deliver”?! Fucking hell.

And I would also add at the end of this season you will find the big fella has played through the pain barrier for half a season and is nowhere near full fitness and will probably require surgery to correct it.

 

[Kazzydeyna]

FFS

90 games 82 goals 15 assists that's 97 goal contributions it's Messi & Ronaldo levels, better than anything Kun Aguero did.

Champions League top goal scorer.

Dortmund home Champions League scored a superb goal to win us the game.
5 fucking goals in R16 vs RB Leipzig
Bayern Qtr final Champs League 2 goals 1 assist
Palace 2-0 down brought us back to life scoring a Hatrick
Tottenham at home 2 down HT scored and helped us turn it around.
Hatrick against the rags which hadn't been done in years.
Arsenal away last season goal to finish off Arsenal
Arsenal again at home 1 goal 2 assists

This is just of the top of my head they'll be more but seriously stop listening to the media.

He's a world class striker and he's obviously heavily marked in the bigger games. Maybe it would also help if our midfield found him more as well.

We wouldn't have gotten anywhere fucking close to a treble or still be in with a shout this season without him.

UNBELIEVABLE SOME OF YOU.

All well and good mate. Butnas all City fans know, he's no Troy Deeney.

 

[Craig]

What's a load of fucking shite lol

He's been here less than 2 years, he'll have his moments.

The Bayern side Aguero scored against were down to 10 men after 20 minutes and were already qualified.

Dzeko please ffs it took Edin Dzeko 189 games to score 72 goals Haaland beat that in 18 months.

Your last paragraph lol

7 posts and you write that dribble...... RAG / DIPPER

He actually makes some good points about the standard of European football falling off a cliff. It was crazy it took so long to win that competition as we’ve had the best side in Europe for years now. It was a lot down to bad luck and some bizarre things going against us and obviously shit can happen in cup comps. That said Haaland’s record is absolutely ridiculous so it is clear what he adds.

A summer off will hopefully do Erling the world of good. The injury might be still impacting him more than we know because there is no way he looks anywhere near as sharp as he did. He can certainly improve but don’t think he’ll ever be the complete striker in the purest sense as a footballer. Get him the service though and he’ll continue to score stupid amounts. Hopefully he can really have an impact again with some big goals over the next few weeks when we need them.

 

[Rammy Blue]

And I would also add at the end of this season you will find the big fella has played through the pain barrier for half a season and is nowhere near full fitness and will probably require surgery to correct it.

Will be interesting to see, he’s most definitely nowhere near 100% fit, it’s easy to tell.

 

[The Viking]

 

[jimharri]

According to that gobshite Glendenning, Haaland is a flat track bully. And it has to be said, there's quite a lot on here who agree with him.

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

It ain't rocket science! We all know the points in games he can be used better, it's usually when he's on the edge of the offside trap pointing frantically where he wants the ball played by someone in midfield, who then decides to turn around and play the ball back to a defender. We have won titles doing that yes, but now and again quick balls to him through the centre would catch teams out.


Regarding your last paragraph, utter nonsense! Stikers are judged on goals scored, it's quite binary. I'd take a 40 goal a season tap in merchant than a 10 goal a season Messi wannabe

Exactly

That above is basically the crux of the problem. Haaland has done what you have stated and it plays out with no one playing the pass and going sideways or backwards and a frustrated haaland up front

This summer I am hoping we get the players in especially those that will look to play that forward pass quicker to him. I am not saying we need to play that way every time we go forward, we can still control possession and build up play, but when the opportunity presents itself we need player(s) who will take that pass on to him.

Thus will then also keep the opposition on their toes. There is nothing we can do about the other teams playing that low block. But we do get loads of opportunities to break but we then decide to hold the play up and that allows a low block to get back in situ.

I think Paqueta will be one of those signings, a few more will be needed to refresh our 1st team

 

[Saddleworth2]

All well and good mate. Butnas all City fans know, he's no Troy Deeney.

Harsh....