Three things are true about Erling Braut Haaland right now: 1) He is less involved in the game than before 2) He misses more chances than before 3) He is a bigger threat than ever Recently we have seen slips, misses and post shots. When he finally scored against West Ham last weekend, in a game where he had nine saves, he exhaled heavily, as if to say, “Phew, finally.” But the trend is positive, because Haaland is getting more chances than before. As soon as he sets his sights – which he always does – he can score even more than last season, when he broke the record with 36 goals in the Premier League. In short, he has become a more extreme version of himself. Slower than normal The offensive numbers in the league put Haaland in the same category as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the top level, according to the website FBref. 1) He has 5.51 finishes per 90 minutes 2) He has 1.15 “expected goals” per 90 minutes (without penalties) A very good striker averages around four finishes per game. Haaland was 3.77 in the league last season, and expected goals were 0.75 (again excluding penalties). But since he is so sharp in front of goal, he usually ends up with around one goal per game. The irony now is that he gets even more chances, but that he misses more than before. If opportunities continue to arrive on a silver platter, and Haaland returns to his usual efficiency, records could fall again. MISS MORE: Haaland probably wishes that even more of the chances ended up in the goal. Photo: AFP At the same time, Haaland is less involved than before. The number of ball touches per 90 minutes in the league has decreased from approx. 25 to 21. The number of passes has gone from approx. 16 to 11. No one complains as long as he threatens goals, and Haaland, despite all the misses, has seven goals in eight games. Manchester City have won five out of five in the league. But this was never quite Pep Guardiola’s plan. Pep’s problem Much of the discussion surrounding Haaland has been about how he fits into the team. Before he arrived in Manchester last year, City played with a lanky midfielder at the top, which gave them fluidity and unpredictability. Then Guardiola tried to preserve the team’s quick passing game while using Haaland. It was a difficult process. Often the players couldn’t find Haaland. Several times he made runs that no one saw. Other times he became too static and isolated. Guardiola has said he dislikes the forward not taking part in the passing game. Towards the end of the season, the chemistry between Haaland and the team improved. He passed the ball well back to teammates, he was a play-off point, and he could pull down the pitch. But this season he is less involved again. “Bad” hat trick Perhaps the numbers have something to do with City having faced Burnley and Sheffield United, who were recently promoted. Weaker teams tend to be lower and mark Haaland more closely. Not that it stopped him from scoring. When City beat Fulham 5-1 at home three weeks ago, they had the ball 68 percent of the time. Haaland played the whole match – and hit six passes, two of them unsuccessfully. During the break, assistant coach Juanma Lillo told Haaland that this type of match was difficult for a striker like him, but that he could have a weak match and still help the team. He scored a hat trick. Even when Haaland plays poorly, he can play well. CLOSING MORE: Haaland is Manchester City’s super striker. Photo: Reuters In this sense, Haaland has moved even closer to classic goalscorers such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Filippo Inzaghi, strikers who are only there to score. What he did little of before, he does less now, and what he does best, he does even more. In short: Haaland has become more “Haalandish”. The supporting players who disappeared How much of the credit does Haaland deserve for getting so many chances? Certainly something, as it is natural for a 23-year-old to get better at running and moving. But City have also changed as a team. Paradoxically, City should actually create fewer chances than before. They have lost three of their most creative players. This summer they said goodbye to Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gündoğan, and in the first round Kevin De Bruyne was injured for four months. For Haaland, this was terrible news. Mahrez stretched the game on the right and often handed him the ball on a silver platter. Gündoğan combined with him via wall play and ran from deep. De Bruyne hits crosses and sticks exactly where he wanted them. But so far City don’t seem to miss them. Superb Álvarez Again, Guardiola has found solutions. He has given a key role to Julián Álvarez, the diminutive Argentine forward. ARGENTINE STAR: Alvarez has become an important piece for City. Photo: AP Álvarez was considered a reserve for Haaland when he was brought in from River Plate last year. But he is a more typical “Guardiola player” than Haaland is: fast, creative, good on small surfaces, sharp in the box and good at winning the ball back. He was used as an inside runner towards the end of last season, but now that City has lost so much creative power, he operates just behind Haaland. Álvarez has become established in this role. And he has been superb. Álvarez gives City a link between Haaland and the midfield. Instead of hitting straight up on the Norwegian, City can now find Álvarez in space, where he can turn up. This seems to mean that Haaland can stay higher in the pitch. If you look at Haaland’s touches on the ball, he is just as involved as before at the very front of the pitch. The touches down in the midfield have almost been halved, perhaps because Álvarez is pulling down in that particular space. In that case, Álvarez means that Haaland can be himself to a greater extent. Table set In fact, Álvarez is the closest thing Haaland has had to a forward partner at City. Guardiola hasn’t had a player like that since Sergio Agüero. Gündoğan was on foot, but was deeper in the field. De Bruyne had the creativity but was better on the edge. Álvarez can find Haaland with sticks as well as run in the backroom himself. Since the two have just started playing together regularly, their chemistry can only get better. Photo: Reuters At the same time, Guardiola has signed the dribbling wing Jéremy Doku. In a season where City could quickly relax after the treble, the tactician has motivated and adjusted the team in a way that makes them seem as strong as before. The table is set for Haaland. It’s easy to forget that he could well have scored more than 36 league goals last season – he was substituted often, he didn’t take all the penalties and he needed time to integrate into the team. Now that he is a natural part of the machinery, he can score even more. Even now that he is wasting away, he has seven goals in five league games. Imagine what happens when he actually finds the flow.
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