Manchester City has been Erling Haaland’s involved in life from birth.
He was born in Leeds on July 21, 2000, just 20 days after his father by Alf-Inge Haaland After the City transfer. The younger Haaland has supported both Premier League clubs represented by his father all his life.
For example, he was a member of the Norwegian City supporters’ Facebook group for a long time, which he left only in 2019. The striker got tired of the constant inquiries from his compatriots if he was going to join soon Pep Guardiola’s to the team.
Now Haaland brings his skills and his mostly smiling baby face to the English Premier League with a transfer worth 60 million euros. Manchester City, piloted by manager Pep Guardiola, will bring a player to the greens who, at his best, will shoot again the high goal numbers of his professional career.
Still, a question hovers around him in England: can Haaland’s scoring spree continue in the Premier League?
Raakile convinced Toivio in Molde
Haaland has had time to convince the footballing world of his abilities in Norway, Austria and Germany as well as in the European cup tournaments.
The “Second Bundesliga” folded in RB Salzburg, when Haaland scored 16 goals in 14 matches. With Salzburg playing in the Champions League, the Norwegian eventually became the sixth player in history and the first teenager to score in five consecutive matches. These came in his first five Champions League games of his career.
In the last three seasons, Borussia Dortmund scored goals at a deadly rate. Last season Haaland hit 22 times, before that 27 and 13.
Haaland made his debut at the age of 15 in 2017 in the men’s major leagues for Molde, who play in Norway’s Eliteserien. At that time, the Finnish lute Jykevä, 28 years old at the time, was in the team’s defense Joona Toivio.
Toivio, who represents the Helsinki Football Club, remembers the young boy who was sniffing the atmosphere of the representative team as a promising youngster who was hard at work.
– He was surprisingly fast and strong for a footballer of his age. Even then, he had the scavenger that he still has today. He still goes into situations as hard as he did when he was a teenager, even though in Molde he didn’t have the physical presence he has today.
From Å to Aa
Although, according to Toivio, Haaland has much of the same to this day, in Molde the Finnish defender still had the upper hand over the current superstar.
– Then it was certainly much easier for me to play against him, when he was by no means a ready player. I didn’t have to press all the sweat in my hat back then, whereas now I could get more sweat, Toivio says with a grin.
– As far as I remember, he wasn’t talked about as a future superstar at the time. And I don’t think anyone expected him to be this good. He was as promising as many others.
The former support pillar of the Huahkajis remembers that the youngster was surprisingly calm outside the grass.
– He specifically dared to open his mouth despite his age.
The story continues below the video. Joona Toivio, who currently plays for HJK, comments on what kind of expectations were placed on the young Haaland and how do you expect him to do in the Premier League.
In Haaland’s debut season, Molde was second in the Eliteserien. The future superstar scored two goals during the season. In the following season, after Toivio moved to Häcken in Sweden, the 16-year-old Haaland already scored 12 goals.
The number of goals has increased, but something changed already at that time. Namely, the name on the back. The surname Håland changed to the anglicized form Haaland. As one reason was easier to brand. One of the background devils of the idea this spring was the deceased super agent Mino Raiolawho had become the agent of Haaland, who had grown into a super promise.
Injuries as weight
In Germany and Dortmund, the number of goals increased, but injuries became a concern. The forward in his twenties has suffered from various muscle injuries and challenges under the load of the game. In Germany, he had to spend a total of 146 days recovering, out of games, due to various injuries.
Several European football journalists have said that one of the reasons for Haaland’s transfer to star-rich Manchester City before, for example, Real Madrid, lay in playing time. Manager Guardiola’s “player roulette” with the starting line-up guarantees the star striker recovery time and the possibility of injury prevention.
Also Urheilu’s expert Pekka Lagerblom believes Haaland’s injuries weighed on the club transfer.
– When you look at his last season, for example, he was sidelined for almost 90 days. In England, in addition to series games, there are a lot of cup tournament games, in which he can be rested, Lagerblom estimates.
Adaptation ahead
Forwards moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League have had a certain kind of ballast on their backs. The most recent German main league goaltender who has directly adapted to the Premier League in his first season has been currently representing FC Barcelona Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Others who have moved from the Bundesliga to England have taken their own time to get back to their familiar goalscoring pace.
However, Haaland is of a different caliber compared to all the previous ones, as the statistics below show.
However, the Norwegian faces a game-like challenge also with his choice of club. Haaland has especially enjoyed his role as a pure “first position” player. He is at his best when running towards the goal, challenging his opponent in side-by-side runs or struggling in front of the defensive line.
– City hasn’t used a traditional center forward for a while, so it’s also interesting in that sense how they use Haaland and play him. Will he have to adapt to that style of play himself or will City adapt theirs for him? Pekka Lagerblom spins the options.
The story continues after the video.
Goals, but how many?
Guardiola’s City will inevitably have to play a lot against defenses that play low. In the Spanish manager’s ball and space control football, the participation of all players in the quarterback is important.
– I don’t want my attackers to wait in the box, it’s boring even for them. If you ask them if they want to be building a game, the answer is yes. And the game we have to build, Guardiola primer his philosophy at the end of July.
The cloud castles created by City supporters from Haaland’s conquest of England took a beating in the Community Shield match (league champions vs cup champions) against Liverpool.
Haaland got into the game and found the goal posts well, but the finish was lame. Especially the situation seen at the end of the match caused frustration for Manchester fans.
Haaland escaped the Liverpool keeper Alisson’s to tackle the loose ball first. The Norwegian had an open goal in front of him, but the shot hit the crossbar. Haaland first buried his face in his hands, but quickly returned the amused look on his face.
– It’s good that Erling sees and experiences the reality of a new country and league, Guardiola stated calmly after the match.
In the four previous seasons, at least 22 goals have been required to win the Premier League goal crown. Last season Liverpool Mohamed Salah and Tottenham Son Heung-min shared the Golden Shoe with 23 goals.
Haaland has been the center of attention since his first Premier League game. The Norwegian will most likely score goals, but everyone following the series is waiting to see how many.
The opening round of the Premier League season
Friday:
Crystal Palace – Arsenal 0–2 (0–1)
Saturday:
Fulham – Liverpool 2–2 (1–0)
Bournemouth – Aston Villa 2–0 (1–0)
Leeds – Wolverhampton 2–1 (1–1)
Newcastle – Nottingham 2–0 (0–0)
Tottenham – Southampton 4–1 (2–1)
Everton – Chelsea 0-1 (0-1)
45+9. Jorginho 0–1 rp.
Sunday:
Leicester v Brentford 4pm
Manchester United – Brighton at 4 p.m
West Ham v Manchester City at 6.30pm
Read also:
Teemu Puki’s bump caused a fistfight in Norwich’s season opener – according to the manager, the Finnish star was taken off the field due to cramp
Comment: The climax of the European Championships of all time gave me goosebumps – the drug must be seen in Europe’s best major league
Superagent’s players took over the responsibility of an “unknown woman” – Rafaela Pimenta overnight became one of the most important background figures in football