Erling Haaland has kicked off the Premier League campaign by scoring two goals for Manchester City against West Ham. Haaland was also awarded the man of the match award for his exceptional performance in the season opener.
Manchester City signed Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for a fee worth £60 million after he was linked to Real Madrid and Barcelona. His father, Alfie Haaland, and City’s coach Pep Guardiola were able to convince him to join the team.
Before the main tournament, he was heavily criticized by people who believed he was not worth the fee Manchester City paid for his services especially after missing a couple of chances in City’s defeat to Liverpool in this season’s Community Shield.
During the community shield, the striker missed one-on-one and the club’s critics blamed Guardiola for starting him in the match. But now he has been praised by the likes of Alan Shearer, one of Premier League’s most decorated strikers after Haaland helped Manchester City to win their season opener.
During Haaland’s interview, he was cautioned for using foul language, but because of the feeling of scoring two goals in his debut match, he couldn’t resist and kept saying the word.
In reaction to Haaland’s performance, Alan told the Norwegian striker to break his record as the Premier League’s all-time highest goal scorer with 260 goals. He twitted by saying, “258 more to go.”
Guardiola has made a statement that he has been compared to the likes of Arsenal’s legendary striker Thierry Henry and Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo. These two retired strikers are among the best to have ever played in England.
🗣 "One week ago when he missed the chance, he was a failure. Everybody laughed at him and now he is Thierry Henry and Ronaldo."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 7, 2022
Pep Guardiola laughs off the comparisons to Erling Haaland after one game pic.twitter.com/6vwv4mzjKF
Guardiola’s tactics have also made it easier for Haaland to be effective.
The Manchester City midfielders are structured to help beat defenders with fast passes, and Haaland himself is a good finisher. If the striker keeps scoring goals, Guardiola is likely to focus on using a 4-3-2-1 formation in Haaland’s favor.
The manager is known for using a false nine mostly in all matches, but he has seen Haaland as a better replacement for the club’s legend Sergio Aguero.
The Premier League now has someone who can torment, score a lot of goals, is good aerially, and is very passionate whenever the team loses.
His father, Alfie Haaland, also played at Ethiad Stadium from 2000-2003, where he made 38 appearances and scored 3 goals.
During his time at Manchester City, he played either as a right-back or a midfielder. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane contributed to the end of Alfie’s football career with a rough tackle that left him injured for months.
Erling Haaland, his son, is very well known for showing how frustrated he is when his team is losing. When Borussia Dortmund played against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final, the striker shouted at his teammates for allowing Manchester City to enjoy limitless possessions in the game.
When he was unveiled to City’s fans, he told them that when he played against Manchester City, his leg didn’t touch the ball.
Erling Haaland was also asked which team he would love to score against as a Manchester City player, he mentioned Manchester United.
