After announcing his arrival in the German Bundesliga with a hattrick against Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund striker, Erling Haaland said he needs to be more clinical.
The Norwegian striker, who said he could have scored 50 goals last season scored 44 goals in 40 games in the 2019/20 season.
Haaland, who has an insatiable appetite for goals is therefore looking forward to hitting the target more this season.
“I still need to become a much better footballer, that’s what drives me on every day.
“My finishing needs to improve, I need to be more clinical, more ruthless. I also need to get better in linking up with my teammates. I know that,” he told local Dortmund newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten.
Haaland, who has also hit the ground running with a brace in their first Bundesliga game of the 2020/21 season in Dortmund’s 3-0 victory at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 1 has a clear strategy mapped out as to how he will reach his desired level.
“I watch replays of my goals quite a lot. I’m constantly trying to learn more about goalscoring. I don’t only watch the goals I score, I watch other players’ as well: how and where do they score? What’s their position before the ball arrives? How do they move?
“I analyse all these little details that could help me to score more goals. So I’ve watched all 44 of my goals from last season quite a lot.”
Haaland looks at the wrong and calls and missed chances
Haaland is not only reflecting on what he did right but also looks at the moments he got wrong in a bid to eke out every last drop of potential.
“I actually think about all the chances I missed. I could easily have scored over 50 goals last season. I don’t want that to sound arrogant – it’s actually a good thing because it shows me that there’s room for improvement. I’m going to try to work on a few things so that I keep getting better.”
Having promised to improve his finishing, the Norway international is ready for harmonising better with his teammates. While noting that his first half-season with the BVB was okay, Halland believes it can still get better.
“The runs we make, the way we link-up with each other. We’re getting better all the time and I feel good in the system we play. Lucien Favre and I talk about a lot of little things and details. We’re making progress.”
Improvements are also important to the lanky teenage striker off the pitch as well. On the importance of this, Haaland stated there are tweaks he can make on it. He usually has video fitness sessions with a personal trainer in Lebanon and wears special glasses at night to filter out harmful blue light from electronic devices
“I use ice baths a lot. I see it as a key to tickling out a couple more percentage points. I use special glasses at night because they help me to have a deeper and better sleep. For me it’s all about little details and percentage points in order to improve every day.”
“Dortmund are a big club with big expectations. I’m going to do everything I can to take us to the next level,” he added.
