Erling Haaland has received a lot of flak for his performance against Arsenal this past weekend, but the Scandinavian sensation is still among the best players in the world, regardless of his poor showing, writes Kamogelo Motecwane.
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This past weekend, the Premier League returned from the international break, and with its resumption came a mouthwatering encounter between two of its main protagonists this season, when Arsenal travelled to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
The match was built up immensely over the two weeks that the English top flight had taken a brief hiatus as it was tipped to be an enthralling encounter, but it was ultimately a tactical chess match played between Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta as the match ended 0-0.
It was a game in which defensive acumen was prioritised over attacking prowess, and one of the main story lines that emerged from it was Haaland's passiveness throughout the match. The 23-year-old was a passenger for much of the contest as he failed to test the Gunners' backline for almost the entirety of the fixture.
Manchester United legend Roy Keane even labelled the forward a League Two level player when taking about his general play afterwards. However, this seems an unfair criticism of the young superstar. Yes, he had a poor display by his loft standards against the north Londoners, but he was up against the central defensive pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel. The two defenders are perhaps both in the running for the Premier League Player of the Season award, and Sunday afternoon's match was testimony to why that is the case.
Haaland is also a player whose game is predicated on running in behind defences and staying in between the width of the opposing goal posts. He was unable to do either this past weekend as he came up against a side that parked the bus. Now, City are accustomed to facing such set-ups on a weekly basis, but this time they were facing a team with the best defensive record in the league and some elite defenders.
For a long time, the Citizens were criticised for not being clinical in front of goal and that they needed a striker. Those were perhaps accurate assessments of their flaws as, after Haaland arriving in Guardiola's side, the team was able to win a treble. It is perhaps true that the Leeds-born striker is not at his best when he is dovetailing with his midfielders, trying to play intricately on the edge of the box, an aspect of his game he could improve upon, but he is world-class when it comes to getting into areas he can score from.
He is still young enough to improve this aspect of his game, but he is elite at what many people think is the hardest thing to do in football, and that is to find the back of the net. Last season, he scored an astonishing 52 goals in all competitions, and in an injury-hit 2023/24 campaign to date, he already has 29 goals in 35 matches.
Nobody, with the exception perhaps of Rodri, had a particularly impressive appearance for the reigning European champions against Arsenal, with even the mercurial Kevin De Bruyne struggling to play a significant role in the outcome of the game.
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Haaland should be judged on his ability to score, not his ability to pass through low blocks. Unfortunately, his game is dependent on him getting the necessary service, so if his main supply lines are being suffocated, he is also bound to suffer. Make no mistake, however: the Norway international is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world.
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