The Norwegian did not manage a double, a hat-trick or a poker against Arsenal. Yet he shone in the same way: he converted, assisted, created goalscoring situations, played impeccably from behind and his tandem with Kevin De Bruyne exploded. In its first season in England, the Android has already installed its name on the league record charts.
If there was one match not to be missed this Wednesday it was the Manchester City-Arsenal, because the future of the Premier League was at stake. The two title candidates, face to face. The Citizens got the better of the Gunners, winning 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium and now counting on themselves to claim top spot in the league. City were two points behind the Londoners, with two games less.
The one who stole the show, again, is Erling Haland. The Norwegian striker is in his first season in England and has more than lived up to the expectations that were placed on him. Especially against Arsenal, the former Borussia Dortmund player showed all his footballing ability, beyond being a simple scorer (and a very prominent one). Going a full match, he generated a high-tension alliance with Kevin De Bruyne to break the resistance of the Gunners.
He didn’t make a double, a triple or a poker. However, the most successful version of the footballer has been seen since his arrival at the Manchester club. He converted, assisted, created goalscoring situations and showed an ability to play from behind that any striker would love. The more global Haaland was key in this encounter. Note that City, in the previous season, had used a false 9, without having a zone reference as such (Gabriel Jesús had to leave when he lost space). Right now they may have the best in their positions.
At 1-0, the Norwegian kept Holding’s mark and assisted De Bruyne for the action that opened the scoring. For the 3-0, he once again offered a goal pass to the Belgian, in a tandem that shone. Already in added time, and the hair released, the 9 converted with the left foot to close the 4-1. In a game in which he was not the game finisher, but was a vital part of his team’s offensive build, he left the game without converting. Until the epilogue. british newspaper Guardian called it a “threat”, giving it a 9 rating (from 1 to 10).
The Norwegian’s heatmap during the match shows his greater participation, the territory not being its main area of influence (see image). According to SofaScore data, in addition to the goal and pair of assists, he recorded two successful dribbles, 35 touches, 73% accurate passing (16/22), three key assists and three of four aerial duels won.
“De Bruyne and Haaland are not without each other”, said Pep Guardiola after beating Arsenal. “Erling is an incredible threat. The way we played in the past seasons with a false nine was completely different, but the connection between Kevin (De Bruyne) and Erling is extraordinary and we try to use it to the fullest,” added the Catalan coach.
Erling Haaland has become a record holder. Every record that appears meets or exceeds it. Against Arsenal, he added his 33rd goal in the English league 22–23 (his first campaign), becoming the top scorer in a 38-game Premier League season. He surpassed the previous record of 32 goals, set by Mohamed Salah in his debut campaign with Liverpool in 2017-18. Now the Android is one of the records held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, set in a 42-game season, in 1993-94 and 1994-95, respectively, when they each scored 34 touchdowns.
That’s not all. The Nordic footballer has reached a level that was in England’s top flight over 70 years ago. With his 33 goals, he equaled the feat of Jorge Robledo during the 1951-1952 season, with the Newcastle jersey. To date, the Chilean was the top non-British goalscorer in a league season. Now, this distinction is shared. Haaland still has seven games to go to improve his ratings, which are already notable.
But when it comes to creating games, it also stands out. In the current tournament, He has seven assists, equaling players whose job is attacking construction such as Martín Odegaard (Arsenal) and Christian Eriksen (Manchester United). In this position, Haaland has one assist more than, for example, the Portuguese Bruno Fernandes, the creator of United.
As well as goals, the striker is aiming for trophies. City depend on themselves to be the Premier’s champions, it’s in the FA Cup final and the Champions League semi-final, a fixture in which they will face Real Madrid. Android wants it all.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
