Guardiola exposes the problem of the perfect striker

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An inimitable start. Pounding footsteps shake the ground. And then a buttery lob. Brutal, brilliant. This is Erling Haaland (22) – the best striker of the moment.

Nobody expected 35 goals in the debut season. Great strikers have struggled in the Premier League. But Haaland hits Manchester right away. He scored twice in the very first game. The opponent at the time was West Ham United. 269 ​​days later, he cheers for the “Citizens” in all competitions for the 51st time. On Wednesday, again against West Ham, Haaland contributed another goal to the 3-0 win, it was the record goal to make it 2-0 in the meantime.

It took him 269 days to overtake legends Andrew Cole (51) and Alan Shearer (52). Cole (in 1994) and Shearer (in 1995) shared the record for 28 years. Big calibers like Harry Kane, Thierry Henry or Mo Salah bit their teeth out. Then came Haaland.

Experts bow to the Tor Monster

“My thoughts are with Alan Shearer at this difficult time,” Gary Lineker (62) teases mischievously towards his colleague, with whom he gets on well. Haaland’s record is “madness” for him. Shearer calmly congratulates: “He couldn’t have gone to a nicer man. He’s the best.”

Back in March, the Newcastle legend exalted the Norwegian as a “near-perfect striker”. What does he have in common? Gary Neville sees him as a mix of himself, Kane’s diploma, Rooney’s strength and the explosiveness of Brazil’s Ronaldo. “He’s like four players in one,” he describes Haaland in his podcast.

Painful honor guard

Coaches and teammates form a ‘guard of honor’ for the record goalscorer after the game against West Ham. “It really hurt – they hit me hard on the back,” Haaland says afterwards in the Sky microphone. He does it with a wink, speaks of a “nice feeling”. The record means a lot to him.

Haaland is therefore not euphoric. He has too many goals for that this season. His hunger for success has not been satisfied. When asked if he would exchange his goals for the treble of the championship, the cup and the Champions League, he answered succinctly: “Yes”.

problem for the future

An answer that should satisfy trainer Pep Guardiola (52). The Spaniard has yet to win the handle pot with Manchester City. Will Haaland become the crucial piece of the puzzle? Classic nines generally struggled under the footballer – salute Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, for Haaland, Guardiola adjusts his philosophy, Guardiola cannot appreciate his striker more than this way.

At Sky he tries anyway: “The whole team is happy for him because he is a unique person – so special. It’s an incredible milestone. Maybe one day he can break his own record.”

That’s the only “problem” with Haaland’s record-breaking season: the already unbelievable expectations of the Norwegian phenomenon will only grow in the future. (dti)

Source : Blick