Erling Haaland is one of the best players in the world at the moment; it’s just that simple. Had Lionel Messi not won the 2022 World Cup, Haaland would have easily won his first Ballon d’Or award. At just 23, Erling Haaland has his best years ahead of him, and if he can manage to achieve the longevity of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he’ll be a regular contender for the Ballon d’Or award for the next decade.
Despite going on a goalscoring spree since the start of last season, when he became a Manchester City player, Haaland has often gone silent in big games, which has earned him an unwanted reputation in the media. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane gave his verdict on Haaland’s disappearance in big games, as he called the young striker out in the aftermath of the Arsenal game yesterday.
Roy Keane rubbishes Erling Haaland’s performance against Arsenal
Erling Haaland has gained quite a reputation for always going missing during big games, except the big name is Manchester United. The young Norwegian hasn’t managed to turn up against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal in the Premier League, and Roy Keane had a few words for him yesterday after going missing in City’s top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal.
“The levels of his general player are so play, and not just today,” Roy Keane, who is a regular critic of Premier League players, said yesterday. “I think his general laying stuff off, headers, or whatever it might be in terms of front of goal is best in the world. But his general play for such a player is so poor. I think he has to improve that he’s almost like a League Two player,” Keane added.
But, in addition to criticizing Haaland for his lack of quality in terms of his all-round game, Keane went ahead to praise the young striker for his incredible goalscoring ability as well, which has taken the Premier League by storm since joining from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
“That’s the way I look at him. His general player has to improve, and he will do so over the next few years. There’s been these brilliant strikers fantastic, but he has to improve his all-round game,” Keane said.
Erling Haaland’s recent struggles in Premier League
The backlash Erling Haaland has been receiving for his poor form in recent times can only mean one thing: he’s a victim of his own success. Haaland achieved so much last season that he’s naturally expected to score more than 50 goals per season, just like he did last season when he helped Manchester City win a treble.
Despite his apparent poor form this season, Haaland has managed to score 18 goals in 24 Premier League games and another six in seven UEFA Champions League games, taking his tally for the season to 29 goals in 35 games. At this stage last season, he had scored ten more goals, which makes the recent criticisms understandable.
Since the start of the year, Haaland has only scored four goals and registered one assist in the Premier League. His last Premier League goal came against Manchester United, which City won 3-1, with Phil Foden bagging a brace in the game.
Even though he’s not operating on the same level he did last season, Haaland is still a reported target for Real Madrid, with the Norweigan trying to use their quarter-final two-legged tie to audition for a potential move to Spain.
