Erling Haaland

[JamDav1982]

Some poor logic there BBZ.

Not that average height means all that much unless can directly apply it to footballers of that time but if want to use that use it when players played not when they were born.

 

[mc_lovin]

And then again, this is a topic about a CF who can't score goals and who has a physique like Coutinho and Denis Suarez and some of you guys are claiming that it is a no big deal, because Pep made us play this way.

Pep always played his best available 9 - I dont know whats up with that weird obsession of yours. He escalated in different positions, but that doesnt fit your agenda, unless you think he should have gotten rid of Aguero for his height (no sane manager would have done that).

It all comes down to how many great strikers there are in a generation (lets say in a 10 years cycle?). If you have the choice between two equally skilled players with one being 1,74 and the other being 1,86m you obviously take the bigger one. But theres rarely a choice like that. You dont take Giroud over Aguero for example. If Martinez (rubbish to compare him to Denis Suarez and your darling Coutinho by the way) is one of the best ~5 strikers of the next generation, we would do fine to get him. Thats all.

 

[Vilarrubi]

I am short and yet dominate the air quite well

Which professional footballer would you compare yourself to?

 

[El Gato]

What progression do you expect from Haaland?

I wouldnt be too shocked if his current self is his best self (which makes him a decent striker already). He wont improve much physically, because he got nowhere to go in that aspect. And for other talents thats probably the normal route: catching up physically. Technique, use of body and movement are much harder to improve.

If fit, motivated, undistracted and surrounded by good service and a manager who won't apologise for any shtick, which may go somewhere towards bullying and shithousing eventually, then anything between Drogba and Ibra is his ceiling. He'll do very well to even get near either of them.

 

[Morten]

If fit, motivated, undistracted and surrounded by good service and a manager who won't apologise for any shtick, which may go somewhere towards bullying and shithousing eventually, then anything between Drogba and Ibra is his ceiling. He'll do very well to even get near either of them.

No disrespect to Drogba, but why would Haaland become a worse goalscorer than he is currently?
Guess you could make the argument that Drogba is a better player, but its a strange comparison either way.

 

[El Gato]

What do you mean currently? Currently he's having a great scoring run which started with a good U20 tournament and has been like it since playing with all respect largely against poor defenders. Why are you acting as if this is his default? Even in Molde under Solskjaer he's had a pretty normal goal tally for a good talented kid surpassing the level of his competitors. Strikers go through ups and downs. Haaland will do well to repeat the 40 goal seasons if he's to eventually move leagues and have a better career than those mentioned above.

 

[Arnaez]

Ibra his ceiling? He will always be very limited technically

 

[El Gato]

Can I get the lottery numbers? Since you happen to know what happens in the next 8-10 years already?

Ibra is the very ambitious target. It's not as if he was a god of technique from the start, and while Haaland is certainly quite 'raw', there's no way to forecast if he'll have a Kane development curve or more like Jan Koller. Drogba or someone like Dzeko are more realistic for a modern striker who's always under scrutiny and that isn't a terminator who never gets hurt.

 

[Morten]

What do you mean currently? Currently he's having a great scoring run which started with a good U20 tournament and has been like it since playing with all respect largely against poor defenders. Why are you acting as if this is his default? Even in Molde under Solskjaer he's had a pretty normal goal tally for a good talented kid surpassing the level of his competitors. Strikers go through ups and downs. Haaland will do well to repeat the 40 goal seasons if he's to eventually move leagues and have a better career than those mentioned above.

I dont know where Haaland is goalscoring-wise in a few years, but yes, it would be weird if he declined significantly as a goalscorer, especially when you consider that he could easily improve when it comes to headers, as an example.

All-round play? He would do well if he became as good of a targetman as Drogba.

I think we've been through "weak opposition" argument before?
Bundesliga and CL are not exactly weak competition

 

[El Gato]

I think we've been through "weak opposition" argument before?
Bundesliga and CL are not exactly weak competition

He's played one good game vs PSG, one shit game vs PSG, and a group stage which Liverpool didn't even take seriously until the very last game where their asses were on the line where Haaland was ineffective. It's all a big nice stretch since U20s so far. 7-8 months of a good hot streak uninterrupted by injuries at any level. Lots to prove, no matter what you look at. Bundesliga is pretty standard trial grounds. Let him play 2 years and it could be completely different by the end of it. If he ever keeps the pace of 40 goal in 40 game season again, fair play to him. At the moment he's a very good attacking talent with a good attitude. Lots can go wrong.

 

[Yannik]

He's played one good game vs PSG, one shit game vs PSG, and a group stage which Liverpool didn't even take seriously until the very last game where their asses were on the line where Haaland was ineffective. It's all a big nice stretch since U20s so far. 7-8 months of a good hot streak uninterrupted by injuries at any level. Lots to prove, no matter what you look at. Bundesliga is pretty standard trial grounds. Let him play 2 years and it could be completely different by the end of it. If he ever keeps the pace of 40 goal in 40 game season again, fair play to him. At the moment he's a very good attacking talent with a good attitude. Lots can go wrong.

*Also 3 goals against Napoli. But yes, he's still at the beginning of his progression.

Not sure what is meant by "Liverpool didn't take CL seriously." I don't think any team does that unless they're through. Played their first eleven in all games and tried to play and score, which they did.
Don't think Klopp is the type to half arse a CL anyway.

 

[El Gato]

Many teams calculate in the CL group stage. Liverpool just happened to not go full steam ahead in most games and slipped through vs Napoli against whom they historically suck anyway. Still, doesn't say much about Haaland other than "it's impressive". There's so much the kid needs to prove and Morten comes in and says he played against top defenders in the CL when he's played 8 games total, lol.

 

[Yannik]

Many teams calculate in the CL group stage. Liverpool just happened to not go full steam ahead in most games and slipped through vs Napoli against whom they historically suck anyway. Still, doesn't say much about Haaland other than "it's impressive". There's so much the kid needs to prove and Morten comes in and says he played against top defenders in the CL when he's played 8 games total, lol.

Not really buying that. The assumption seems entirely on the base of them not winning 6 of 6 matches and trying to find an easy explanation for that. They definitely tried, it's not like they jogged around for 90mins, they are just less used to playing these different sides, than to PL football. Haaland scoring against them really needs no downplaying. It was good. Obviously 8 months isn't a lot of time to prove a lot yet, but he did show his class when he had to and that's a great start. It's never a lot of time with these wonderkids that top teams are battling it out for. If you'd always wait 5 years for them to "prove themselves", then you'd never get any talent in time. You either risk it at some point, or leave empty handed.

 

[El Gato]

Not really buying that. The assumption seems entirely on the base of them not winning 6 of 6 matches and trying to find an easy explanation for that. They definitely tried, they are just less used to playing these different sides, than to PL football. Haaland scoring against them really needs no downplaying. It was good. Obviously 8 months isn't a lot of time to prove a lot yet, but he did show his class when he had to and that's a great start.

Haven't downplayed anything. I said it's impressive, for a 19 year old or otherwise, not many produce 40 in 6 months of football. But it's as true as the fact that it's still 8 CL games, 4 of which are against proper CL level defenders, 2 of them were pretty crap while Napoli also had an atrocious autumn with Koulibaly having his worst season to date. So who knows.

Sure 8 months on the international scene isn't a lot of time. But it's never a lot of time with these wonderkids that top teams are battling it out for. If you'd always wait 5 years for them to "prove themselves", then you'd never get any talent in time.

Well, it is 8 months. There's no going around that. It's a great year commenced at U20 World Cup. Dude played 1 good CL knockout. Until there's more data, reservations are pretty normal. Kane had 1 good season, then produced another. Patience. No way of telling how next year will be.

 

[KingLeo10]

I am short and yet dominate the air quite well

You probably have a jump of half a foot. Pipe down, lad.