Erling Haaland

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FattyFooty said:
Just think about that Haaland has at age 21 scored more CL goals than R9 scored hes whole carrer.

Haaland is a beast.
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I'll take r9's two FIFA best player in the world, a ballon dor and European golden boot at 21 thanks... Plus a world cup winners medal... Plus a world cup winners medal ... Plus top scorer in Spain... Seria a player of the year and world cup golden ball
 
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troylocker said:
How do you explain that they have similar portions of their teams' accumulated npxG (38 vs. 40 %) and Bayern having 8 players with a higher xA90 than the best non-Haaland Dortmund player? Lewandowski is brilliant at finding space and make himself available, but so is Haaland, and with Haaland being a more lethal finisher and more direct in his playing style it is natural that the end product will be even better for him. There is no way around Lewandowski getting the best service in the world right now.
I am pretty damn sure Haaland would score and assist at a higher rate than Lewandowski in that Bayern team (He already is for Dortmund - Haaland: 1,29 npG90+xA90 vs. Lewandowski: 1,22 npG90+xA)
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You say it yourself, Haaland is more direct in his style. And as said above, Bayern is better overall, so they have higher numbers. That direct style would not work as good for Bayern as it does for Dortmund. Haaland is a force of nature, and while Lewandowski himself is physically impressive his game is more reliant on smart moves etc. I therefore see a higher risk for Haaland to lose his edge due to injuries, but of course if he keeps developing well and does not get into big injury troubles he will be the best in the world soon. At the moment I would still pick Lewandowski ahead of Haaland if I needed a striker to perform right now.

In the end both are obviously world class, so either way we are discussing slim margins between the two.
 
stefan92 said:
You say it yourself, Haaland is more direct in his style. And as said above, Bayern is better overall, so they have higher numbers. That direct style would not work as good for Bayern as it does for Dortmund. Haaland is a force of nature, and while Lewandowski himself is physically impressive his game is more reliant on smart moves etc. I therefore see a higher risk for Haaland to lose his edge due to injuries, but of course if he keeps developing well and does not get into big injury troubles he will be the best in the world soon. At the moment I would still pick Lewandowski ahead of Haaland if I needed a striker to perform right now.

In the end both are obviously world class, so either way we are discussing slim margins between the two.
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Fair enough.
 
troylocker said:
Are you saying that the striker with the highest npxG90 (expected non penalty goals per 90) and the highest number of shots/90 in the top 5 leagues doesn't get as good service as Haaland, or has as good working conditions?

Lewandowski: 1,19 npxG90 - non penalty goals: 1,04 (underperforming by 14% this season in the BL)
Haaland: 0,71 npxG - non penalty goals: 1,02 (overperforming by 43% this season in the BL)

Lewandowski is the player in the top 5 leagues that shoots the most this season:
Lewandowski: 5,03 shots/90
Haaland: 4,33 shots/90

Creativity from teammates (xA90 = expected assists per 90) and contribution to teammates:

Bayern: Muller 0,56 xA90, Gnabry 0,45 xA90, Kimmich 0,42 xA90, Sane 0,39 xA90, Tolisso and Musiala 0,36 xA90, Goretxka 0,26 xA90, Davies 0,24 xA90, Coman 0,20 xA90.........
.....Lewa 0,18 xA90

Dortmund: Brandt 0,23 xA90, Reus and Meunier 0,22 xA90, Hazard 0,21 xA90, Malen 0,20 xA90, Bellingham 0,19 xA90, Dahoud 0,16 xA90, Wolf and Guerreiro 0,12 xA90....
.... Haaland 0,27 xA90

Crazy stuff: Bayern (3,14 npxG90) creates the most chances in the Bundesliga, they accumulate 78%(!!!) more npxG90 then the closest contenders, Dortmund (1,76 npxG90)

Lewandowski accumulates 38% of Bayerns npxG90 and scores 34% of their non penalty goals (non penalty goals/90 vs. team non penalty goals/90) and contributes to 7% of their combined xA90 (xA90 vs. team xA90)
Haaland accumulates 40% of Dortmunds npxG90 (pretty similar to Lewa, 5% more) and scores 45% (32% more than Lewa)of their non penalty goals (non penalty goals/90 vs. team non penalty goals/90) and contributes to 19% of their combined xA90 (xA90 vs. team xA90)

Tell me more about the luxury Haaland has in that Dortmund team compared to what Lewa has in Bayern, please. Lewandowski lives in a strikers paradise in that Bayern team.
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What the feck is that shit
 
stefan92 said:
Bayern is better overall, so they have higher numbers. That direct style would not work as good for Bayern as it does for Dortmund. Haaland is a force of nature, and while Lewandowski himself is physically impressive his game is more reliant on smart moves etc.
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That’s why I’m more confident Haaland will perform at the same high level in another club compared to Lew. Because Lewandowski relies more on chemistry and interaction with other players and a well-drilled system.
 
troylocker said:
You do realize that these "analytic comparison posts" are not a substitute to watching actual games?
Some people thinks this sort of stuff is a good read and likea to back up what they see or get a surprise from stats and ananysis in addition to watching games.
Feel free to not read stuff you hate reading.

Eyetest comparisons holds few good arguments....
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Clubs keep sending scouts to watch games for a reason.

Not everything is stats.
 
sun_tzu said:
R9 was better at 21 for me ... thats not a slight on Haaland - more so pointing out just what a phenomenon Il Fenomeno was
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R9 at Barca and the first season at Inter was probably the best I've seen anyone play football, the world have never seen anyone do that stuff before or after. I remember watching that Valencia game when he had just turned 20 and it was the sickest thing I'd ever seen on a footballpitch. A superhuman against humans. Those knees robbed us for what could have been the GOAT. Young Ronaldo had so many tools in his locker that it no one else has, but I do think Haaland is an even sharper goalscorer though. I rate young R9 above Haaland as a player.
For young strikers post 1980 they really stand out, and they are by far the two young striker that have excited me the most since I started watching and playing football 40+ years ago.
I think prime Messi, Cristiano and now Lewa has made it harder for people to understand how impressive the last 30 months of Haalands career actually has been.
 
troylocker said:
R9 at Barca and the first season at Inter was probably the best I've seen anyone play football, the world have never seen anyone do that stuff before or after. I remember watching that Valencia game when he had just turned 20 and it was the sickest thing I'd ever seen on a footballpitch. A superhuman against humans. Those knees robbed us for what could have been the GOAT. Young Ronaldo had so many tools in his locker that it no one else has, but I do think Haaland is an even sharper goalscorer though. I rate young R9 above Haaland as a player.
For young strikers post 1980 they really stand out, and they are by far the two young striker that have excited me the most since I started watching and playing football 40+ years ago.
I think prime Messi, Cristiano and now Lewa has made it harder for people to understand how impressive the last 30 months of Haalands career actually has been.
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Peak messi and R7 were probably as good if not better... but at 21... nobody close to R9 for me... as you say could have been the GOAT if it wasnt for the injuries

Haaland and Mbappe are doing incredible things at their age and both look certain to have amazing careers (injury permitting)

But yeah R9 pre injury was just something else
 
sun_tzu said:
I'll take r9's two FIFA best player in the world, a ballon dor and European golden boot at 21 thanks... Plus a world cup winners medal... Plus a world cup winners medal ... Plus top scorer in Spain... Seria a player of the year and world cup golden ball
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zero contest. Haaland is not considered the worlds best player. Also the comp was far higher in Ronaldo's era.
troylocker said:
R9 at Barca and the first season at Inter was probably the best I've seen anyone play football, the world have never seen anyone do that stuff before or after. I remember watching that Valencia game when he had just turned 20 and it was the sickest thing I'd ever seen on a footballpitch. A superhuman against humans. Those knees robbed us for what could have been the GOAT. Young Ronaldo had so many tools in his locker that it no one else has, but I do think Haaland is an even sharper goalscorer though. I rate young R9 above Haaland as a player.
For young strikers post 1980 they really stand out, and they are by far the two young striker that have excited me the most since I started watching and playing football 40+ years ago.
I think prime Messi, Cristiano and now Lewa has made it harder for people to understand how impressive the last 30 months of Haalands career actually has been.
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:drool:
 
I personally love him. I think he is a devastating forward, ambitious, hungry for success, very visual and super charismatic. I don't follow him regularly but when I see him he always catches my attention. If we weren't so obsessed with Mbappe he would surely be my first choice.
I am not going to debate whether or not he is better than Karim since it is irrelevant. Karim has a very high status, like Modric. If Karim, Modric (like Cristiano) is active, he has to play, so the options are:
- he comes to Madrid, they play a year together (like Raúl and Cristiano in 2009) and later Karim leaves
-Karim leaves this summer
-Haaland comes in 2023 if he's willing to wait.
At a competitive level it seems unrealistic to sign Haaland to do rotations, and Mbappe+Haaland+Karim+Vini is a fantasy when it comes to playing elite games, although it would obviously be feasible at home against mediocre teams.
I love Karim but maybe I would ask him out(maybe to Paris with Zizou?) if Haaland wants to leave Borussia now.
 
troylocker said:
@Sayros
Do you really think it is harder to score against top teams for Real Madrid than it is for Dortmund?
Do you really think Benzema is a better striker than Haaland?
What makes you think he would accumulate the same output if you put him in that Dortmund team?

It's no disrespect to what Benzema has done in his football career or to him as a player, I think he is one hell of a player, just not as good as the absolute best.

That players have a one off season now and then happens all the time. I don't think the PL is a shit league just because Phillips and Bent has been topscorers there. I do think Schicks hot streak in the Bundesliga will end some day not to far away though. Him Diaby and Wirtz has been clicking pretty good so far this season, but he is 26 (and has 0 goals in 14 CL games), so it would be very surprising if a goal per game is his new permanent level, since he never been remotely close to that before.
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I'll answer in order:
-Yes, I do. I think the Bundesliga is a much easier league to score goals in, and the proof is in its goalscorers. I can't help but keep repeating you don't see many top leagues where there's 3 individual players with a goal/game or better. Last season Andre Silva scored more than Haaland, this season you have Patrick Schick on a goal/game. Not players I consider better than Benzema, I'm sure you'll agree.
Dortmund is a scary team on offense, but they're poor on defense, therefore they face teams who aren't going to park the bus anywhere near as much as they do with a team like Real Madrid (we can also use this logic for the Norway/France comparisons as well as Champion's League). There is context to their performances and outputs that go beyond just comparing the two players.

-I think Benzema is a better player, not necessarily striker. I think he has more strings to his bow. I think Haaland is the best finisher of the two, has slightly better movement (although that's in part due to the fact he touches the ball far less and doesn't drop as deep), and is quicker. That's what I'm giving him over Benzema, and it's a lot because those are three huge aspects of being a top striker. However, I think those can be neutralized easier than someone like Benzema who is a better dribbler, more intelligent, has better vision, better technique and first touch, a better passer, and has that moment of genius in him where he will do something whether with a touch or shot that you no one saw coming that can unlock a situation out of nothing. His touch for his goal against Switzerland is something Haaland wouldn't even dream of doing, just as an example of what I'm talking about.

-See my first answer.

And again, I don't mean to put down the effort you put into the statistics, because I do enjoy reading statistics, but I think it's also just a part of the story. I really hope Haaland puts his injuries behind him and shows what he can do for a long time. He has the potential to be the greatest striker in terms of numbers, but right now it's only potential. He would be lucky to have even half of Benzema's career, and there's still a long way to go to suggest it's even possible for him, but I'm not putting any limit to what he can do, I'm just not getting ahead of myself just yet. It's the same with Mbappe and some saying he's already better than Thierry Henry, I think it's craziness even if the numbers back that up so far in their respective careers.

Oh, and...

troylocker said:
The boy is an absolute physcal monster. Ask Van Dijk, De Vrij, Upamecano, Koulibali, Diaz, Fernando, Kounde, Kimpembe etc. He's bullying all of them physically.
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Kimpembe had his way with him in the return leg though. :p
 
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Harry190 said:
How's Barcelona gonna pay him?
They're gonna crown him Prince of Cataluna?
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First by lowering the salary bill a little more, selling the players they can and all the money available for their signing.
 
Haaland is the best striker available by far. Maybe the best striker in the world period. Although Lewandowski, Benzema and Mbappe might argue. But he’s not coming to United. And because of the involvement of Raiola, I wouldn’t want him to either. I never want us to give another penny to that shitbag.

Barcelona signing him would be just another example of their financial imprudence, and lack of accountability. I can only see them being able to afford it if they offload Dembele (definitely happening) and De Jong (which would be a huge loss). Haaland is going to demand 750k - 1mm a week.
 
sun_tzu said:
I'll take r9's two FIFA best player in the world, a ballon dor and European golden boot at 21 thanks... Plus a world cup winners medal... Plus a world cup winners medal ... Plus top scorer in Spain... Seria a player of the year and world cup golden ball
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I don't think Haaland will be winning the FIFA World Cup any time ever!!!
 
I see he is injured again, do these injures are all freak ones, or have we seen some pattern there that might not make him be the future GOAT?

Not followed as much as of late.
 
JuriM said:
I see he is injured again, do these injures are all freak ones, or have we seen some pattern there that might not make him be the future GOAT?

Not followed as much as of late.
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He is a big/heavy guy that currently relies on speed and explosive moves. Muscle injuries will always accompany this.
 
City still strongly linked to him. To be honest, I can't see him going anywhere else
 
LARulz said:
City still strongly linked to him. To be honest, I can't see him going anywhere else
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Not sure I agree, especially if Pep stays there.

They are going to win the league at a canter, and have a good chance of finally winning the CL, all without a #9.

I think it’s more likely they get a inside forward and play Grealish/Foden as a false 9.
 
JuriM said:
I see he is injured again, do these injures are all freak ones, or have we seen some pattern there that might not make him be the future GOAT?

Not followed as much as of late.
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He won't last long. Way too reliant on his physicality. And his fitness record is dodgy. Andre Silva had more league goals than him last season. This season Schick has more in the league now. Worrying signs.....

Needs to tweak his game/training regime a little if he wants to have any longevity.

Bwuk said:
Not sure I agree, especially if Pep stays there.

They are going to win the league at a canter, and have a good chance of finally winning the CL, all without a #9.

I think it’s more likely they get a inside forward and play Grealish/Foden as a false 9.
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The perfect player for City in that position would be Joao Felix. Perfect for Pep's style.


LARulz said:
City still strongly linked to him. To be honest, I can't see him going anywhere else
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Barcelona still more likely imo. Watch them draw money out of thin air and get the deal over the line.

Bayern dark horses if their CF leaves..

I am assuming he wouldn't wanna go to Real because of Mbappe.
 
Starting to think he might be suffering a bit of big man syndrome. Too big, too strong, too explosive for his body to last a full season without injury.
 
Why would Haaland agree to only listen to offers from them and no-one else, doesn't make sense from a negotiation standpoint.
 
Andrew7582 said:
Why would Haaland agree to only listen to offers from them and no-one else, doesn't make sense from a negotiation standpoint.
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Because it's probably bs. If Haaland wanted RM, he would simply go to them. It maybe a preferred destination, but ultimately whoever offers him the best financial package is going to take him. Almost every day we hear a new story in regards to him, either Barcelona are close, City are about to sign him, or Madrid have him locked down etc.
 
DoneDaDa said:
Because it's probably bs. If Haaland wanted RM, he would simply go to them. It maybe a preferred destination, but ultimately whoever offers him the best financial package is going to take him. Almost every day we hear a new story in regards to him, either Barcelona are close, City are about to sign him, or Madrid have him locked down etc.
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The story sounds a lot overblown. What I could imagine really happened would be something like this: "Erling, Real called me about you" - "Cool. Get me a good deal, Mino."
 
DoneDaDa said:
Because it's probably bs. If Haaland wanted RM, he would simply go to them. It maybe a preferred destination, but ultimately whoever offers him the best financial package is going to take him. Almost every day we hear a new story in regards to him, either Barcelona are close, City are about to sign him, or Madrid have him locked down etc.
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Yes I agree with you, it's most likely more nonsense.
 
Mbappe and Haaland on the same team hmm. If RM also is able to buy a world class CM they’re going to be hard to stop:nervous:
 
Andrew7582 said:
Yes I agree with you, it's most likely more nonsense.
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It's absolutely nonsense, but then again the media is full of that and it won't be the end of it with him and Mbappe, I expect it will be one of the more ridiculous summer transfer window, major shake ups, but one thing is for sure, neither Mbappe nor Haaland would lock themselves into negotiations with only one team. Not only is it bs, but it also makes zero sense for them to do so. Those teams will be there waiting for them, regardless.

Unless this was an older clip and I wasn't paying attention, I thought I saw Haaland in training and expected him to be on the bench at least last game but nowhere to be seen. Has there been updates on his health? If he's in training it can't be that bad (again, could have been watching an old clip).
 
Sayros said:
It's absolutely nonsense, but then again the media is full of that and it won't be the end of it with him and Mbappe, I expect it will be one of the more ridiculous summer transfer window, major shake ups, but one thing is for sure, neither Mbappe nor Haaland would lock themselves into negotiations with only one team. Not only is it bs, but it also makes zero sense for them to do so. Those teams will be there waiting for them, regardless.

Unless this was an older clip and I wasn't paying attention, I thought I saw Haaland in training and expected him to be on the bench at least last game but nowhere to be seen. Has there been updates on his health? If he's in training it can't be that bad (again, could have been watching an old clip).
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He was back in training yesterday and is expected to play vs Rangers on Thursday. Whether he's fit to start I don't know, but he'll get gametime for sure.
 
United in sin said:
Has Lewandowski had similar troubles during his time at Bayern?
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No, Lewandowski is basically indestructible.

But he is probably also 10kg lighter than Haaland, a complete fitness and nutrition fanatic (it helps that his wife is a Karate black belt, nutrition specialist and studied PE…) and never purely relied on physicality and explosive sprints.

I am not saying that Haaland is injury prone. The track record is too short. I am only saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if him dealing with muscle injuries becomes a thing.
 
Where has he been? Didn't see him for a while? Injured again?

Isn't he getting too many injuries at his age?
 
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