Erling Haaland is an incredible goalscorer. His strike rate speaks for itself, with the Norwegian having already bagged 31 goals for Manchester City in all competitions this season.
In saying that, there does remain some questions about his fit at The Etihad.
Haaland's individual stats may be incredible, but they come at a time when City are performing below their usual performance levels. The team as a whole has dropped in standards, with the striker's lack of ability on the ball also an issue when you consider the way the team had previously operated under Pep Guardiola.
When the 23-year old doesn't score, he offers very little else to the side. That has been an issue at times this season, especially in games against other top clubs in the Premier League.
Thierry Henry identifies hole in game of Erling Haaland
Thierry Henry is probably the best forward ever to play in the Premier League. While he never had a season to match the current goalscoring rate of Erling Haaland, his contributions in all areas of the game meant that he was massively impactful as up front.
Having seen Haaland in action in the Premier League this season, the Frenchman has pointed out one area where he needs to adjust his approach. Here's what he had to say on CBS Sports last night:
"Consistency, work ethic, quality..."
Thierry Henry explains how Harry Kane became Tottenham's all-time record scorer. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/DkO5b7e3H3— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 14, 2023
There is one piece of advice that Arsene Wenger gave me when I was playing for Arsenal and it has always stayed with me: what can you do when your team is not feeding you?
We all know that when Kevin De Bruyne has the ball, he can find [Haaland] in any way. We know he likes to make that sudden burst move.
Arsene told me 'ask yourself the right question'. When I was a striker, I used to complain about everything. The boss said 'do you think Dennis Bergkamp can give you the ball the same way Freddie Ljungberg does?'
I started to think with Dennis I could move how I wanted to move. Then I started to think 'Robert Pires likes a one-two, so I need to come short, with Freddie Ljungberg I need to be in his path because with the way he runs he will not see me'.
I started to think how I could enhance the skills of a player instead of showing his weaknesses.
For example, with De Bruyne you can make that run, but maybe with Bernardo Silva you've got to come short because he likes a one-two.
Maybe sometimes Haaland is making the same run whoever on the ball. Sometimes that doesn't help the team.
It has been said on numerous occasions this season that Manchester City need to adjust their style in order to compliment Erling Haaland's strengths, and while they have done that to a degree, results have also suffered.
It will be interesting to see how the player fares under Pep Guardiola over the next couple of seasons.
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