Nordic Ghost Yeti (Scandi Carroll) | Haaland at City

He was good today, the problem was City trying to pass the ball about too much and not being more direct. His goal was very good.

I was surprised they didn’t go in for Toney this summer. When they were chasing the game today they could of had him up next to Haaland and it’d of given them a different outlet / option to try.
 
Maluco said:
I have very simply laid out my point for you in the post above with a few stats about his lack of goals in important games. It’s very easy to understand.

Today was a good goal against a top team in a big game. It doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t do that often enough and is rarely decisive when it counts.

That includes finals, semi finals, and big games in the league (as we have seen against Arsenal in recent matches) and CL (as we saw as recently as this week)

6 finals, no goals

Messi scored 32 goals in finals, Ronaldo 30, Neymar 21, Romario 19, Drogba 10 goals and 10 trophies.

The greats, and even the very goods, decide big football matches. He has time, but it’s a massive failing if he doesn’t eventually add that to his game.

He has very much been the flat track bully on roids for City so far.
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He scored twice in the DFB Pokal final against Leipzig in 2021 and bullied Bayern through his time there as well.
 
Battered Partey, threw a ball at Gabriel’s head for the equaliser, and asked “who the feck are you” to the Arsenal youth kid who came on who was giving it back to him.

Normally hate this robot but he was on form tonight
 
Bwuk said:
He was good today, the problem was City trying to pass the ball about too much and not being more direct. His goal was very good.

I was surprised they didn’t go in for Toney this summer. When they were chasing the game today they could have had him up next to Haaland and it’d of given them a different outlet / option to try.
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They never cross the ball so Toney would be useless. De Bruyne aside. They had Haaland there with his height in the second half and every perfect crossing opportunity they pass it to the side.
 
Bwuk said:
He was good today, the problem was City trying to pass the ball about too much and not being more direct. His goal was very good.

I was surprised they didn’t go in for Toney this summer. When they were chasing the game today they could have had him up next to Haaland and it’d of given them a different outlet / option to try.
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Not really in their profile of signings — they’ve rarely sign players over the age of 27 over the past five or so years and when they do the fees tend to be quite moderate — around the 20m mark.

Toney would’ve probably been similar to what Brentford actually managed to get for him
 
hasanejaz88 said:
He scored twice in the DFB Pokal final against Leipzig in 2021 and bullied Bayern through his time there as well.
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Yeah, I had actually remembered that Pokal, but again, the argument is that he doesn’t do it enough, not that he doesn’t do it all. He did it today, albeit not a decisive goal.

He did it today, and he did it (albeit against Leipzig) in a Pokal final, but it’s still not a record that befits his reputation as the best goal scorer in the world.

He needs those big moments in big games to be considered truly elite and I think that mentality in big games is something that separates the true greats from the rest.
 
I rate him so much for pelting the ball at Gabriel's head after the equalizer. Top player, extremely unfortunate he plays for shitty.
 
DWelbz19 said:
Battered Partey, threw a ball at Gabriel’s head for the equaliser, and asked “who the feck are you” to the Arsenal youth kid who came on who was giving it back to him.

Normally hate this robot but he was on form tonight
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He probably should have been sent off (two yellows) but it was very funny.
 
Haaland has had a dip in form towards the end of the seasons, because Peps been starting him in almost every match. Hence the underperformance in those big games (finals, semi-finals).

His goal ratio in CL (1.03 goals per game) is better than any other player in the 70 year history of the competition. That proves he's got no problem scoring on the biggest scene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UEFA_Champions_League_top_scorers
 
onetwo3oclock4oclockrock said:
Haaland has had a dip in form towards the end of the seasons, because Peps been starting him in almost every match. Hence the underperformance in those big games (finals, semi-finals).

His goal ratio in CL (1.03 goals per game) is better than any other player in the 70 year history of the competition. That proves he's got no problem scoring on the biggest scene.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UEFA_Champions_League_top_scorers
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His problem is more likely that Pep gets more cautious and doesn't let City play to Haalands strengths, instead passing the ball around 1,000 times.
 
Tyrion said:
His problem is more likely that Pep gets more cautious and doesn't let City play to Haalands strengths, instead passing the ball around 1,000 times.
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Also , teams sit deep and Man City start hitting crosses .. for CBs that is easy to handle
 
So I'm guessing no retrospective punishment for him smacking someone in the back of the head with the ball?

If Bruno did that, he'd be looking at a 10 match ban, plus a red card for Casemiro.
 
After the Arsenal incident with Ruud at Old Trafford, i never forgot that.

So Haaland yesterday was kinda funny.
 
Isn't throwing the ball at someones head extremely poor form, or am I just being a prude? I mean, it's funny as a neutral of course, but if he had done that to a United player I think I'd be pretty pissed off. Clearly should have been booked for it.

The Partey barge is completely fair game though. He intentionally got in the way.
 
DWelbz19 said:
Battered Partey, threw a ball at Gabriel’s head for the equaliser, and asked “who the feck are you” to the Arsenal youth kid who came on who was giving it back to him.

Normally hate this robot but he was on form tonight
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My thoughts exactly. The crying from Arsenal fans make it even funnier.
 
Took his goal well. Then he was anonymous. Then he lost his head. I did laugh at him throwing the ball at the back of Gabriel's head but it was poor form from him.
 
He has to be careful. Scoring like he does, if he adds shithousery and running his mouth some Barton like player might want to test if his legs hold up like his dads did.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Isn't throwing the ball at someones head extremely poor form, or am I just being a prude? I mean, it's funny as a neutral of course, but if he had done that to a United player I think I'd be pretty pissed off. Clearly should have been booked for it.

The Partey barge is completely fair game though. He intentionally got in the way.
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The barge is out of order as well really if you watch it, he turns to shoulder charge him in the chest.

Should've been off yesterday after all that. He's been a numpty several times since he joined the league tbh.
 
Maluco said:
One goal in a league game, after how many tries at it? He also had a half against 10 men to get it done and he couldn’t. He should have been sent off too.

Top CBs will always have his number I’m afraid.

Look at what the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have done over the years in the very, very biggest games. To quote me after that performance is laughable.
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Do they actually have his number though? Yes and no, and at a cost.

Haaland didnt do much against Real Madrid, because Rudiger was a literal poststamp on him all game. And his CB partner was right next to him. No player in football is doing much of anything when you have two elite CBs man marking you like their childrens lives depends on it. To Haalands credit, he is one of the only players in history where teams have adapted their entire defense so much around how to stop one player.

The others being the obvious greats like Messi, Ronnie and other players in the same echelon.

Where Haaland is far away from the football ability of those players, he is just such a physical phenomenon and lethal finisher he will score goals at a unprecedented rate. Equaling Ronaldos record to 100 goals for Real Madrid at a time when he was at his best peak is completely nuts, in a harder league.

Pep isnt stupid, he knows Haaland struggles to get going in the big games because the CBs will be so focused on him. City use that to their advantage, or at least try to.
 
There’s something about Haaland that makes me like him when he is a complete shithouse like he was against Arsenal.

I’d be fuming if he does it against us but there’s something highly entertaining about it especially against a club like Arsenal.
 
Mike Smalling said:
Isn't throwing the ball at someones head extremely poor form, or am I just being a prude? I mean, it's funny as a neutral of course, but if he had done that to a United player I think I'd be pretty pissed off. Clearly should have been booked for it.

The Partey barge is completely fair game though. He intentionally got in the way.
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Haaland is a giant cnut and needs taking down a peg (or a leg)
 
Dominos said:
Why did you think it was important to mention that it was a "league game", if you weren't insinuating it isn't a big game?

So it's not enough to score in big games, but it has to be the winning goal in a game that City win by just one goal, because otherwise it's not "decisive". Goals in games that City draw don't count, and goals in games where City score a lot of goals don't count either.

What teams in the league, and what teams in Europe exactly qualify as big games? Because it seems to me like he's actually scored loads of goals against the top 4, and top 4 contenders. Does scoring a hattrick against United count, or did that not count as decisive in your world?
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Look the dude is not good in big games and everybody knows it. We all have eyes, so this equivocation and explaining away won't cut it. Yes he opened the scoring, but then he promptly vanished in the second half and we've seen this from him time and time again. As he goes on on his career, he is gonna have to start showing up in the biggest games and in the biggest moments. That's what truly great players do. He hasn't done that so far. But he's still relatively young.
 
Samid said:


Missed the Lego Pep bit yesterday :lol:
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Still have soft spots for both Gabby and Zinchenko but you just know they were hugging each other crying long after the game yesterday due to this. Biggest crybabies we have ever had
 
Some of the posts in here are completely embarrassing. He's the best forward in the world right now and his numbers against top oppositions are excellent. Just because they don't match up to his freakishly good numbers against other sides doesn't mean he isn't great.
 
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