Manchester City have finally announced the acquisition of their new frontman, Erling
Haaland.
Having already scored 135 goals at just 21 years of age, the Norwegian is surely a good
addition to that already formidable City squad.
And getting him for just 60 million euros was an absolute steal.
Everybody expects Haaland to perform at high levels in Manchester City.
And not only just perform in the long run, almost everyone expects him to hit the ground
running just like he did when he moved to Germany.
But there’s a possibility that the Norwegian could end up being a flop.
Truth is, that possibility exists for every player who just made a move to a new club.
But for those who think it is impossible with Haaland, come along as we show you 4 reasons
why Erling Haaland could flop in the Premier League.
1.
Bundesliga tax
Most of the numbers Haaland is currently being praised for were put up in the German top
flight.
And no disrespect to the Bundesliga, but the quality of teams there is nothing close to
the quality in the Premier League.
So, his game has to really improve following his move to England.
And the truth is, recent history is not exactly on his side on this one.
Many youngsters who have moved from Germany to England in recent times have failed to
replicate the form they had in the Bundesliga.
Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho… all moved from the Bundesliga
to the Premier League within the last 3 years, and they have all struggled for form, with
only moments of brilliance here and there at best.
But then, Haaland could draw inspiration from players who made the move from Germany to
England upwards of 4 years ago.
Son and Aubameyang moved from the Bundesliga and have both won the Premier League Golden
Boot.
His new teammate, Kevin De Bruyne, also came from the German top flight and has been named
Premier League player of the year twice already, so there’s that, too.
2.
Differences in playing styles
Borussia Dortmund play a strikingly different type of football from Manchester City, and
adjusting could pose a little bit of a problem for Haaland.
One thing we know for sure is that Pep Guardiola won’t change his style for anybody.
He didn’t change it for the 100-million-pound man, and he won’t change it for the 50.
So, if Haaland struggles to fit into City’s style, there’ll be huge trouble.
Also, the general style played in Germany affords attacking players a lot of space to
operate, and we have seen Haaland really thrive with space in both club and country.
But in the Premier League, defenders just don’t give attackers that much space.
That’s why you see that the best players and scorers in the Premier League are the
ones skilled at wiggling out of tight spaces – Salah, Son, Kane, Mane, De Bruyne, Bernardo
Silva…
all very great at going up against defenders who don’t give them any space.
And it’s even worse when those defenders are up against City.
City love to hold the ball and basically camp in and around the opponent’s box, so there’s
always little to no space for attackers here.
If Haaland can’t thrive in little or no space at all, there could be problems for
him in England.
And you could argue that, at 6 foot 5, the Norwegian will serve as a huge outlet for
crosses into the box for City, but the truth is that, in spite of how tall he is, the lad
is not exactly great in the air.
Only about 10% of Haaland’s career goals were scored with his head.
If he doesn’t improve on that, he runs the risk of flopping in the Premier League.
3.
Burden of expectations
When your move was widely anticipated, it puts a lot of pressure on you as a player.
Before he chose City, Haaland was linked to the biggest clubs in Europe including Barcelona,
Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
Now that he has chosen a destination, all eyes are now on him to see how he fares.
And it’s worse for him for two reasons.
One, many insist that he chose City over the Spanish giants because of money.
So, you would assume that they’d be waiting to tear him apart for making the wrong choice
because of money.
Two, the English press are known to be very brutal.
Most big names who have moved to the Premier League in recent years have experienced the
wrath of the English media.
Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata, Timo Werner, are some of the players who have
really felt the heat of the English media.
And you know, it’s probably not good news for Haaland that Man City aren’t exactly
favorites with the press because, according to many English folks, they are ruining the
game by trying to buy success.
All this pressure from all sides can really affect the lad psychologically, and as we
have seen over and again, a player’s mental state always affects their performance on
the pitch.
Now, finally, it has been said for a minute that the missing piece of the Man City puzzle
is a prolific center forward.
If they get a really good striker, people say they’ll definitely go on to win the
Champions League.
So, in a huge way, it means that the entire continent is looking to Haaland, a 21-year-old,
to bring home the Champions League for Manchester City.
That right there is the type of pressure that cripples even 30-year-olds.
We will only have to wait and see if Haaland has the mental capability to withstand all
that and still soar.
4.
The physicality of the Premier League
The Bundesliga is not half as physical as the Premier League.
In England, balls are more keenly contested, defenders go in for harder tackles, and of
course, every defender would like to be the person who stopped the new guy everybody has
been hyping up.
And the fact that Haaland already has a pretty lengthy injury record playing in Germany doesn’t
spart much hope either.
If he struggled to stay fit in a league that is known to not be very physical or demanding,
what then would become of him in the Premier League of all leagues?
And recent history is not exactly favoring him, is it?
Dembele, Sancho, and Pulisic, all left Dortmund at the ages of 20 and 21, and they each went
on to struggle with injuries in La Liga and the Premier League.
And you can see how much those injuries contributed to them being referred to as flops in their
new clubs.
If Haaland is unable to get his injury problems under check, they could worsen in England,
and could blight his Premier League career.
Having heard all this, what do you think will become of Haaland in the Premier League?
Will he go on to tear the league up or will he end up being a flop?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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