Hit-man Haaland is a world-class finisher but not a world-class player
Erling Haaland is the ultimate luxury footballer. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest goal-scorers, but is yet to become a world-class player. To be truly world-class you need more than one, all-encompassing trait. Think of the best Premier League strikers of the last 20 years − Thierry Henry, Luis Suarez or Harry Kane − and they had or have a major influence on the biggest matches, whether they scored or not. All of them could play for any side in the world and contribute more than an impressive strike-rate.
In general play, Haaland is not at the same level as these strikers yet, his three most recent games against top-class centre-backs confirming that for all his brilliance inside the penalty area, he is a work in progress out of it.
Virgil van Dijk, William Saliba and Antonio Rudiger bullied Haaland, the much-hyped showdowns between top defenders and a goal machine nothing of the sort. They were a mismatch rather than a match-up. No high-calibre striker should be so dominated, so easily.
Van Dijk, Saliba and Rudiger will not admit it publicly, but after the Liverpool, Arsenal and Real Madrid games against Manchester City, they must all have come off the pitch believing they have faced much tougher assignments than keeping Haaland quiet.
Curiousity
Since Haaland joined City he has been a brilliant curiosity. But no-one regularly watching Haaland − whether a neutral or ardent City fan − can fail to recognise that when he does not score he does not do much else.
That’s working out perfectly fine for City, given it is so rare he does not score. City’s win rate when Haaland scores is 88 per cent. They are yet to lose in any competition when he is on target.
In most of their games, City have so much possession that Haaland can focus his energy into getting into the right position to receive an assist. But when the level of opposition increases it is an issue. When Haaland plays and does not score, City’s win rate falls to 49pc. His 41 goalless games include nine defeats. That’s a massive drop.
Only against the top sides do we get an insight into Haaland’s work without the ball or helping to resist pressure with his hold-up play, which is why he has heard some more negative appraisals, most recently from Roy Keane and Henry. From day one, it has intrigued me that Pep Guardiola rates Haaland so highly that he is prepared to compromise his usual principles.
The Norwegian does not press high, retain the ball especially well, demonstrate outstanding physicality in deep areas, or link the play with his midfielders. He is an out-and-out No 9 in the old-school tradition.
In his first few years at City, Guardiola gave the impression he was not convinced about Sergio Aguero in the biggest fixtures, often leaving him on the bench. Aguero will go down as one of the greatest Premier League strikers. Guardiola wanted more from him.
What separates Haaland from Aguero and all the prolific goal-getters is the freakishness of his strike-rate. He may be one-dimensional, but that dimension is so extraordinary it has rendered any flaws insignificant.
Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games for City last season. He is on course for another 40 this year. When you are delivering those numbers, does anything else matter? City won the treble last season. They may do so again in a few weeks. How can you question any part of a line-up that has delivered so much?
But the underlying issue here is not what City fans think, or even what Guardiola thinks about Haaland’s general play. What will become increasingly significant is this: what does Haaland think? Where does he want his game to develop? Does he care that his game is being judged solely on his goal return? Is his minimal contribution beyond goalscoring by design or necessity? If a manager demands more, does he have the capacity to do it?
Haaland is still only 23 and gives the impression that he has a career plan mapped out. If his sole interest is breaking goalscoring records, he has no need to change anything. If he has serious ambitions to win the Ballon d’Or and play for Real Madrid, he must add more to his game.
To play centre-forward for a club of Real’s stature you must be multi-functional. Karim Benzema was seriously underrated. Kylian Mbappe, who is expected to join Real this summer, is far more than a goalscorer.
The two greatest players of the last two decades − Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi − dominated the Ballon d’Or for the same reason.
Haaland could have the last laugh over Rudiger in next week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg, of course. It is easier for a top striker to get the better of a top defender, because they need only one moment to define the game. There is no better finisher. But eventually he will need to become the finished article to warrant being spoken about in the same breath as Ronaldo and Messi. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd, 2024)