Since joining Man City, Haaland is associated with goals and many awards. On the other hand, he also stands out for playing poorly on big stages, or being lackluster against well-organized teams on defense.
Unlucky with the final
Between the achievement of 63 goals after 67 Premier League matches, a number that no one can match in the history of the tournament, and continuously winning medals and cups, Haaland’s contribution in competitive matches and finals is very low. .
At Wembley recently, when Lisandro Martinez was hurt and left the field, Man Utd fans were worried when veteran Jonny Evans replaced him in the last 15 minutes. Even so, Haaland couldn’t do anything.
Haaland participated in 6 cup matches wearing “The Sky Blues” shirt. As a result, he has not scored any goals: Community Shield 2022 (Liverpool) and 2023 (Arsenal); 2022-23 Champions League final (Inter), 2023 European Super Cup (Sevilla); FA Cup finals 2023 and 2024 (both against Man Utd). As for the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final, he was absent due to injury.
If not counting the Community Shield and European Super Cup, but considering long-distance cup competitions, Haaland has participated in 9 matches from the semi-finals onwards. The numbers associated with him are red flags: no goals, no assists.
In the semi-finals of the FA Cup this season, Haaland “suffered” against Chelsea’s defense. Last season, when meeting Sheffield United from the Championship, he did not contribute much and was completely overshadowed by Mahrez – the author of the hat-trick.
On the Champions League playing field, in two consecutive seasons Man City met Real Madrid (last season’s semi-finals, this season’s quarter-finals). Haaland appeared in a total of 359 minutes (excluding overtime), but was silent. He cannot portray the image of a striker who scored 41 goals in 5 seasons playing on the most prestigious stage in European football.
Considered along with Kylian Mbappe to create a new competition, replacing rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but Haaland has not done that yet. The big stage only brings nightmares to Erling.