Erling Haaland has posted phenomenal numbers in his debut season, but Liverpool will feel vindicated after Pep Guardiola’s intriguing latest comments.
It can feel almost churlish to point out any flaws in the game of Erling Haaland. Since signing for Manchester City last summer, he has made a mockery of the best league in the world, continuing to score for fun. He is averaging almost exactly one non-penalty goal per game, and it’s still only his third-best career campaign in this regard.
Clearly, Haaland is a goal-scoring phenomenon. Unfortunately, the record set by Mohamed Salah at Liverpool in 2017/18 does not look as though it will be intact for much longer. And yet despite this, there are some valid questions that have not yet been answered.
Before Haaland’s move, Liverpool fans pondered whether he would really be the best fit for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. Admittedly, that query was asked in the hopes that it would be Jürgen Klopp’s side who could take advantage of any period of adaptation at the Etihad. Nevertheless, while that scenario has dramatically failed to transpire, Arsenal is indeed gratefully seizing upon something of a dip from the reigning champions.
Whether that dip is because of or in spite of Haaland is not exactly clear. But a feeling persists that the Norwegian’s laser-focus on goals sits slightly unnaturally in the modern-day title-winning template.
Even when he had the genius of Lionel Messi at Barcelona, Guardiola did not construct a one-man team. In fact, his approach at the Nou Camp helped mold the now-accepted model of greatness, using the maestro at his disposal to lift the entire side and create a smooth, seamless unit.
Likewise at Manchester City, Guardiola’s successes have always relied on the collective. Certainly since the departure of Sergio Agüero, Manchester City players have routinely been absent from the Golden Boot discussion. Even the Argentine changed his game to offer more to the team, ultimately earning an emotional ‘we cannot replace him’ farewell from his manager.
Pep Guardiola’s verdict on Erling Haaland suggests Liverpool may have been right all along. (Image: Photo by Lexy Ilsley – Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
But a player with 28 Premier League goals by mid-March can’t really be the reason for Manchester City’s drop-off, can he? Even the most ardent of Liverpool fans will have questioned this analysis at one point or another, wondering whether it is just a form of jealousy.
However, Guardiola appears to have just confirmed the legitimacy of the theory. Asked about Haaland in a press conference, he had a surprisingly blunt assessment:
“I don’t like players to just stay in the box to score goals. We need him to be involved.”
Asked if Haaland had improved that side of his game since joining Manchester City, Guardiola damned him with faint praise: “A little bit, yeah.”
There is an obvious Liverpool contrast in the shape of Darwin Núñez. He will no doubt be sick of comparisons to Haaland, with their parallel arrivals placing an unfortunate amount of pressure on the Uruguayan. But while he comes out way short in the goals column, he is offering a far more rounded game.
Looking at expected assists (xA) — a much more useful measure than actual assists, given it does not rely arbitrarily on the finishing of teammates — Núñez has a significant advantage on Haaland. The Liverpool striker has recorded 0.29 xA per 90 minutes in the league this season, compared to his Manchester City counterpart’s rather more modest 0.17.
While not quite anonymous in games where he doesn’t score, Haaland can be expected to take around six games to lay on a goal for his teammate, whereas Núñez can be expected to do so every three games or so. That’s a significant difference, and one Liverpool will value highly.
Of course, nobody would dare argue that Núñez has had the better season. That really would take Liverpool fans into pure jealousy territory. Not only has Haaland posted better individual numbers, his team is also doing far better. But when it comes to long-term indicators of success, the Uruguayan’s overall involvement — coupled with more than healthy goal numbers for a debut season — suggest he may be the better fit.
Guardiola knows it. He is already trying to change his new striker. Borussia Dortmund probably know it as well, launching its most convincing title charge in years fresh off the departure of the mercurial striker. And Liverpool knows it, with some strong evidence to challenge the Núñez ‘flop’ discourse.
Although Haaland deserves all the plaudits that come his way, he is ultimately playing an individual game, and it’s not clear that Manchester City is really benefiting.
