The forward is the great attraction of the new season of the English league. His arrival keeps Manchester City as the big favourite, with Liverpool as the main threat
The arrival of Erling Haaland al Manchester City painted a black horizon for the rest of the Premier. The team that has won the title in four of the last five campaigns, which has been the highest scorer in all of them, signed the center forward called to mark the next decade of football. The Community Shield opened up hope, but only for the rival in front of him. Liverpool, the only one that sustained its rhythm last year, and again the only one capable of questioning the dominance of Pep Guardiola’s team.
The signing of Haaland was taken as the definitive piece in the assault on the Manchester City a la Champions League. It is the only title that resists the more than 2,000 million that Sheikh Mansour has invested in signings (almost 1,400 in net spending) since he arrived at the club, and that eludes Guardiola since 2011. The Norwegian promotes a team that has already achieved settle in the European elite, but the underlying explanation is more prosaic: when a vintage striker is within range, no more questions are asked.
Yes, there is one that has revived in the heat of defeat in the Community Shield. And it is if Erling Haaland fits into Guardiola’s blackboard. If a hunter who claims the terminal pass fits in a team that arrives in the area more by dialogue than by stampede. These days it has been considered whether the Norwegian should be more combinative, more Harry Kane and less Haaland. Even if it should be Guardiola himself who adapts to his new star.
The movements of City respond to the first, which never took the definitive step for the Englishman, not even when a year ago he came to publicly say goodbye to the Tottenham fans. The Catalan has responded to the second. We are not going to change something has given us so many successes. We are going to adapt his best qualities to our game.”
Lewandowski’s mirror
Pep Guardiola still sweats seventh season at Cityas many as happened in Barcelona and Bayern Munich together, more than expected when he landed in the blue part of Manchester in 2016. And in all this time he had not had a profile front by Erling Haland. He had the Kun Agüero, which ended up working although he was slow to enter through his eyes. But to find somewhat closer precedents you have to go back to his two previous teams: Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robert Lewandowki.
The ego of the Swedish, Haaland’s confessed idol, never found his place on the board. But the Pole, a great finisher, was very prolific in the time he coincided with Guardiola: 44 goals in the first season and 47 in the second. “He told me: I can’t help you to be a better striker because you’re already very good, but I can help the team get the ball into the area and then you know what you have to do”, confessed Lewanwdowski in an interview with ‘Marca Claro’.
In that first appetizer Against Liverpool, it seemed that Erling Haaland was playing a different game than his teammates, that there was a disconnection that went beyond the torture Van Dijk subjected him to. The Norwegian only touched the ball 16 times, although it was enough for him to have a couple of clear chances. He failed both, which is not common in a ‘nine’ that at Borussia Dortmund he participated in 106 goals (86 points and 20 assists) in 89 games.
Incorporations as his attack partner Julian Alvarez (signed in the winter market, but arrived now) or the midfielder Kalvin Phillips enhance Guardiola’s wardrobe, but in a team where the competitive ground continues to mark him (and very high) Kevin de Bruyne, the roof will be put by Erling Haaland.
According to the criteria of
Know more
