Nordic Goal Yeti | Haaland at City

EtH

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It’s so funny watching him make countless runs in behind which his teammates don’t even acknowledge. He is such a bad fit. Pep has already had to take to defending it in the media. He is fecking up the system. Clear as day.
 

Valencia Shin Crosses

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Regarding pace, I think pace became less effective in the City side as sides started setting up very deep, making the likes of Sterling and Sane less effective over time. If it is true that Haaland is best in a run-and-gun team, well City don't necessarily have the personnel for that.
Nah teams have set up deep against City since basically the beginning. They hoard possession more than any team in the league. But Pep is obsessed with midfielders and hoarding the ball so much that he'd rather field an entire team of those types of players, and it kills much of the 1v1 danger that they used to have with Sterling and Sane at their best. Hell his copycat at Arsenal realized this immediately and is thriving playing two rapid wingers around a heavy possession style.
 

bosnian_red

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Remember when Mario Gomez scored roughly 40 goals in back to back seasons for Bayern, but was still seen as not an elite striker? How big clubs just didn't like going for players like that because it limited so much of what they could do if all they were good for was being a poacher? It's the same thing now. You put a poacher up top who contributes nothing outside of being a poacher, and you'll feel it in the rest of your game. Suits some teams much better than others.
 

Andrade

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Remember when Mario Gomez scored roughly 40 goals in back to back seasons for Bayern, but was still seen as not an elite striker? How big clubs just didn't like going for players like that because it limited so much of what they could do if all they were good for was being a poacher? It's the same thing now. You put a poacher up top who contributes nothing outside of being a poacher, and you'll feel it in the rest of your game. Suits some teams much better than others.
Far too early in this case to make any such definitive statements.
 

bosnian_red

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Far too early in this case to make any such definitive statements.
Haaland is a much better poacher, but the point stands IMO. He doesn't have it in his locker to be more than a poacher. Very useful in a lot of ways, but will also limit your team a lot more than a striker like Kane, Lewandowski or Benzema would.
 

hasanejaz88

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He's in a similar position to what Mario Gomez was in at Bayern. In two seasons Gomez scored 80 goals including 21 in the UCL, yet Bayern didn't win a trophy with him and realized when he was injured that they played better with Mandzukic.

Haaland will continue piling in goals at an elite level but City will soon wonder whether they are better with him or with another type of striker.

Remember when Mario Gomez scored roughly 40 goals in back to back seasons for Bayern, but was still seen as not an elite striker? How big clubs just didn't like going for players like that because it limited so much of what they could do if all they were good for was being a poacher? It's the same thing now. You put a poacher up top who contributes nothing outside of being a poacher, and you'll feel it in the rest of your game. Suits some teams much better than others.
Haha just saw this. Sorry for saying the same thing :lol: Though I would still say he was an elite striker back then. He was banging them in for Germany during those seasons as well.
 

padr81

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Needs to find some form and offer more when the chips are down.
 

jm99

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Maybe I've got this wrong, but when I think of a poacher, they don't typically have the pace of haaland, they hang around in the box and it dictates a certain style of play. Haaland is fast enough to chase through balls and beat defenders, he's not that involved in general play but I don't think he fits the general definition of a poacher either
 

Tarrou

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he seems more focused on contact than the ball at times, it’s quite funny to watch him sticking his arse out in anticipation of the defender closing in
 

padr81

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Maybe I've got this wrong, but when I think of a poacher, they don't typically have the pace of haaland, they hang around in the box and it dictates a certain style of play. Haaland is fast enough to chase through balls and beat defenders, he's not that involved in general play but I don't think he fits the general definition of a poacher either
He's this weird mix of Fernando Torres and a brick shit house. He has Torres like ability to run onto a ball or outpace defenders, even kinda makes similar runs when running in behind. But he also has the big tank CF thing going on to. Has absolutely no interest in anything other than being in the right place at the right time though which I feel he'll have to adapt under Pep.
 

FriedClams

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When you have someone who is as lethal as he is when he gets chances, id say it’s the managers fault not coming up with a playing style that gets him more involved.
 

adexkola

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Nah teams have set up deep against City since basically the beginning. They hoard possession more than any team in the league. But Pep is obsessed with midfielders and hoarding the ball so much that he'd rather field an entire team of those types of players, and it kills much of the 1v1 danger that they used to have with Sterling and Sane at their best. Hell his copycat at Arsenal realized this immediately and is thriving playing two rapid wingers around a heavy possession style.
Not as intense as in recent years. Go watch a compilation of City goals from 2017-18... a lot of them have Sterling/Sane running into empty space on one side of the pitch. They simply don't see that level of space anymore, which is why Sterling's usefulness to the team started declining, and B. Silva/Mahrez became more integral.

Of course Arsenal are having joy this season on the wings. Let's see if the same applies 2 years from now.
 

Jim Beam

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Maybe I've got this wrong, but when I think of a poacher, they don't typically have the pace of haaland, they hang around in the box and it dictates a certain style of play. Haaland is fast enough to chase through balls and beat defenders, he's not that involved in general play but I don't think he fits the general definition of a poacher either
He is much bigger, much quicker and more mobile than others.. but still a poacher. Although absolutely brilliant one, people say this like it is some kind of derogatory term.
 

Andrade

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Haaland is a much better poacher, but the point stands IMO. He doesn't have it in his locker to be more than a poacher. Very useful in a lot of ways, but will also limit your team a lot more than a striker like Kane, Lewandowski or Benzema would.
You don't actually know that. Let's see where they are at the end of the season.
 

wangyu

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Haaland scores truckloads at an age where everyone else is playing playstation but it wouldn't be a football forum to find hordes of people downplaying his abilities.
City are still favorites to win the title and Haaland has all but racked up his topscorer title already. It might be true he is more suited for games with lots of space to work in but it isn't holding him back whatsoever. He scores when he pleases.
 

horsechoker

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Haaland scores truckloads at an age where everyone else is playing playstation but it wouldn't be a football forum to find hordes of people downplaying his abilities.
City are still favorites to win the title and Haaland has all but racked up his topscorer title already. It might be true he is more suited for games with lots of space to work in but it isn't holding him back whatsoever. He scores when he pleases.
Why didn't he score on Saturday?
 

11 forwards

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Haaland is a much better poacher, but the point stands IMO. He doesn't have it in his locker to be more than a poacher. Very useful in a lot of ways, but will also limit your team a lot more than a striker like Kane, Lewandowski or Benzema would.
His assist rate is just as good as those guys you mention. Honestly, this talk about "limiting the team" is rather strange in my opinion. When you have someone scoring that much, and additionally forces a couple defenders being glued to you, it's up to the team as a whole to benefit from the space created.

Alvarez will fit nicely in.

It's halfway of the first season with this set-up. Thei're going to figure it out, defense included.
 
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Righteous Steps

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Maybe I've got this wrong, but when I think of a poacher, they don't typically have the pace of haaland, they hang around in the box and it dictates a certain style of play. Haaland is fast enough to chase through balls and beat defenders, he's not that involved in general play but I don't think he fits the general definition of a poacher either
Most poachers were lightening quick Rush Linekar Owen(to an extent) even Chicarito.
 

jm99

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Most poachers were lightening quick Rush Linekar Owen(to an extent) even Chicarito.
I was thinking more of like of inzhagi or van nistelrooy, I didnt really see the others play but with chicarito I don't really remember him using his pace to get on the end of through balls much
 

Ladron de redcafe

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23 league goals already and its a certainty that he'll shatter the all time Premier league record for goals in a season. What will be interesting to see is whether he'll break Shearer's all time g+a record in a season of 47.

Either way, he's making the Premier League look like a pub league.
 

dove

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23 league goals already and its a certainty that he'll shatter the all time Premier league record for goals in a season. What will be interesting to see is whether he'll break Shearer's all time g+a record in a season of 47.

Either way, he's making the Premier League look like a pub league.
He definitely will as long as he avoids injuries. Let's not forget he is only 22. Scary.
 

Maluco

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He will absolutely destroy these lesser teams, but did they need someone to do that? They regularly did it anyway with goals distributed around the team.

I think the better teams are slowly finding ways to neutralize him and City are less affective in bigger games because of it.
 

Rayman96

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I stand by my prediction. He will never get to 70 league goals this season :houllier:
 

Cloud7

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Him scoring against a smaller team doesn’t change the points made from the match against United
 

FattyFooty

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Haaland is scoring against everyone. Even when he is on the "lesser" team.

He has more goals than games for Norway.

And he scored against everyone in the Champions league when he played for Dortmund and Salzburg.
 

Lay

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I want to see him do it in non farmers league now.
 

V.O.

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Haaland is scoring against everyone. Even when he is on the "lesser" team.

He has more goals than games for Norway.

And he scored against everyone in the Champions league when he played for Dortmund and Salzburg.
He's also failed to qualify for anything with Norway, didn't make Dortmund any better than they were with Paco Alcacer leading the line, and is currently making City a worse side than any other of their recent iterations despite being in line to score about 700 tap ins and penalties for the season.
 

kouroux

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He's also failed to qualify for anything with Norway, didn't make Dortmund any better than they did were Paco Alcacer leading the line, and is currently making City a worse side than any other of their recent iterations despite being in line to score about 700 tap ins and penalties for the season.
No single player makes an entire team worse. This argument makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
 

RedRoach

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Only scored one goal today that you could say was mainly him (the header) other two were a penalty and a mistake by the keeper. He does seem to make it a habit of scoring though.