Erling Braut Haaland is facing criticism after a 3-3 draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League, but the Norwegian is also being defended.
Erling Braut Haaland is under scrutiny after only managing one shot in Madrid, leaving him with zero goals in three matches against the major club. According to Sky Sports, Real Madrid is the opponent Haaland has faced the most times without scoring.
Former top player Rafael van der Vaart was harsh in his judgment of the Norwegian: “I think he was very poor. If he doesn’t score, he’s quite useless,” said van der Vaart on Ziggo Sport.
Sky Sports rated Haaland a 6, the same as six of his teammates. Manuel Akanji was rated the weakest with a 5, according to the website.
Manchester Evening News gave Haaland a 5: “Offered nothing up top as he lost many duels against (Antonio) Rüdiger,” the newspaper writes, according to Norwegian TV 2.
Will Not Be Mentioned
However, the newspaper’s Manchester City reporter Joe Bray believes that the criticism is sometimes too simplistic.
“Despite Haaland’s many, many goals and quietly impressive number of assists, critics will always look for an alleged weakness. His lack of goals in supposedly bigger matches is an easy target, and this was another encounter with Real where Haaland was kept in check,” he writes.
“Rüdiger wouldn’t let Haaland go and it frustrated the Norwegian, but it also opened up spaces that players like Bernardo and Foden could exploit.”
Additionally, he praises Haaland for his performance shortly before Phil Foden slammed in the 2-2 for City. Just before the goal, Haaland corrected a mistake by Foden that could have been fatal.
“It wouldn’t have happened without Haaland, but it won’t be mentioned in the inevitable criticism that will come his way,” writes Bray.
Staggering
He only had 20 touches of the ball. Nine passes. Two of them came in the final third. But does it matter? That’s the question posed by Lewis Jones, who has worked with analysis at Sky Sports.
“Haaland will always occupy opponents who can’t ‘switch off’ with him around. However, his lack of involvement in this game was at times quite staggering,” writes Jones.
Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Bernardo Silva were more involved around the tall striker. Additionally, all three of City’s goals were scored from outside the 18-yard box.
“But does Haaland’s tendency to fade into the background matter? Are they really a better team without him? That’s the question we’ve been asking about Haaland since he signed. Whatever the answer is, the question won’t go away,” writes Jones.
The next task for Manchester City and Haaland is at home against Luton in the Premier League on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s men are one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool, setting up what promises to be a thrilling end to the season.