Once Again, Haaland Ineffective Against Strong Opponents

The 0-0 draw with Inter Milan early this morning wasn’t the first time Erling Haaland disappointed whenever Manchester City faced strong opponents.

Haaland Ineffective Against Inter Milan

Erling Haaland entered the match against Inter Milan in top form. After the first four Premier League rounds, the Norwegian striker had already scored nine goals, including two hat-tricks.

Man City fans expected Haaland to continue his high-scoring form and help the team defeat Inter Milan to kickstart this season’s Champions League campaign smoothly. But once again, the striker born in 2000 was ineffective in a big game.

Inter Milan had carefully studied how to neutralize Haaland. Throughout the match, the No. 9 forward managed just three shots toward Yann Sommer’s goal, with only one on target. That was all the 24-year-old could contribute.

Haaland was completely disconnected from his teammates. The Norwegian forward touched the ball only 14 times in the 90 minutes.

He often had to drop deep from the penalty area to receive the ball. In total, the 24-year-old had just two touches inside Inter’s 18-yard box.

Haaland’s Weaknesses

Haaland’s talent and brilliance are unquestionable. He possesses all the qualities of a world-class striker. From his physique, speed, strength, aerial ability, to his finishing technique, Haaland is outstanding.

However, the Man City striker has only displayed his brilliance when facing weaker opponents. Every time he comes up against stronger teams, Haaland has yet to prove his worth.

This has been evident throughout the past two seasons, and the pattern continues now. It’s not hard to explain why.

Haaland, one of the best strikers in the world, is not without his weaknesses. One of these is his ability to link up with his teammates.

It’s no coincidence that coach Pep Guardiola has repeatedly urged Haaland to improve this aspect of his game. But so far, there hasn’t been much progress.

As a result, whenever Man City face big teams, Haaland tends to underperform. He is closely marked and doesn’t receive many quality passes. He also struggles to combine with his teammates, leaving the No. 9 striker ineffective.

Haaland needs to adapt if he wants to take bigger steps forward in his career. If he aims for the next level or even dreams of winning the Ballon d’Or, the Norwegian striker clearly can’t just rely on his impressive goal-scoring record against weaker teams.