Former striker Jay Boothroyd has called on Erling Haaland to do more than score goals, after the star had a poor match in the confrontation between Manchester City and Liverpool that ended in a 1-1 draw at the weekend. , and at the same time was ‘pocketed’ by Van Dijk.
John Stones’ deft opening goal in the 23rd minute was leveled by Alexis Mac Allister thanks to a penalty in the 50th minute. The two rivals for the Premier League title ended the match with a result. The draw means Arsenal still maintains the top spot in the table before the remaining 10 matches.
Haaland was confused when meeting a big opponent
Notably, striker Erling Haaland was compared to… a spectator at Anfield when people saw him rarely participate in the match. Haaland had only one shot on goal and his 22 touches were the fewest of any other City player in the first team.
In fact, the Norwegian star has continued his impressive scoring form this season since joining Man City in July 2022. The 23-year-old has scored 29 goals and had 6 assists in 33 matches on all fronts. However, Haaland was not the best player in the important match against Liverpool.
Former Wolves striker Boothroyd feels the Premier League’s top scorer is not a good choice to launch attacks for the away team. He told Sky Sports: “When Liverpool was imposing their style of play and Manchester City had no counterattack options, the only thing the away team could do was pass the ball up to Haaland.
Man City’s problem is that the front line must keep the ball. They put their hope in a striker who is 2 meters tall, big and strong with that desire. The last requirement is that Haaland must keep the ball, but unfortunately he cannot do it.”
Everyone knows that Haaland’s body shape and strength have caused a lot of trouble for Premier League defenders since he arrived at Man City. But Liverpool’s defender pair, Virgil van Dijk and Jarell Quansah, negated his effectiveness at Anfield.
Haaland seems lost when facing big opponents. Photo: GETTY.
Boothroyd made this clear: “Haaland needs to do more, not just wait for his teammates to clear the deck and score. That’s what I don’t like about Haaland. He’s a big striker, a major threat. needs the ability to overwhelm defenders. However, when Haaland meets top teams like Liverpool, he cannot escape Van Dijk and Quansah.”
Boothroyd claims the Norwegian international is underrated because of his scoring record: “Haaland really doesn’t participate much in the game when he plays against big teams. So he doesn’t have much.” points according to the standards of other strikers, because my ability to score goals is limited in top matches.
Van Dijk makes Haaland missing
Erling Haaland won the Premier League Golden Boot last season (36 goals in 35 matches). He also leads the UEFA Champions League scoring charts (12 goals in 11 matches), making a major contribution to helping Man City win the treble. But Haaland’s lack of prominence in important matches has reduced his role this season.
Steel midfielder Van Dijk locked Haaland. Photo: GETTY.
Meanwhile, Liverpool captain Van Dijk showed his flair by causing star Erling Haaland to experience a disappointing afternoon at Anfield. The Dutch defender played excellently, making four tackles, four interceptions, and two clearances.
Van Dijk is an important pillar for his team this season and this is the reason why coach Jurgen Klopp’s team is competing for the championship. Not only did he neutralize Haaland in the latest match, Van Dijk appeared 26 times on the field in the tournament, helping the home team keep 8 clean sheets. He also scored two goals and had two assists.
Former football player Jamie Carragher did not hesitate to praise Van Dijk when analyzing his game on Sky Sports. He argued that the Dutch captain is a good defender and knows how to make Haaland disappear: “Erling Haaland cannot establish his “dominance” when meeting Virgil Van Dijk. He is already an extremely great defender. When he gets home and opens his pocket, Van Dijk will see Erling there.”