Erling Haaland: Manchester City striker criticised for lack of commitment to the game – if he scores goals every week, does it matter?

Following Manchester City’s opening day victory over Chelsea, a stunning statistic was revealed. Erling Haaland became the first player to complete just three passes in 90 minutes under Pep Guardiola – a leading proponent of Total Football. Just three.

The revelation has added fuel to a fire of investigation that has been ongoing almost since Haaland joined Man City in 2022. Can a striker really be considered world-class if he hardly ever touches the ball?

Haaland has come under scrutiny recently for his low average number of touches per game. In fact, his touches are the lowest of any player to have scored three or more goals in Europe’s top five leagues since the start of last season – yet his personal goal tally is astounding.

In this case, the best approach is to zoom out the image.

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Against Ipswich, a week after scoring in a 2-0 win over Chelsea, the Norwegian made as many passes as he had shots on goal (seven), resulting in a hat-trick for Haaland in a 4-1 win.

Heading into the first international break of the season, Haaland had amassed seven Premier League goals. No other striker in the league has even had seven shots on target.

To put this into more context, after Haaland scored another three goals against West Ham on Matchday 3, his average hat-tricks rose to one every 9.7 matches, while his average of six touches per shot remains the lowest among European players.

He has now won more Premier League trebles than Wayne Rooney. He is level with Thierry Henry, Michael Owen and Harry Kane. He is three behind Alan Shearer and four behind Sergio Aguero, who has scored 12 goals. It is surely only a matter of time before that record is broken. And this season he has the chance to become the first player since Henry in 2004 to win the Golden Boot for three years in a row.

All this from a man who, as Roy Keane said, sometimes plays like a “League Two player” outside the penalty area. “His overall game is so poor that he has to improve,” Keane said after Man City drew 0-0 with Arsenal last March. The question is, does it really matter?

And if Haaland, the most prolific goal-scoring machine in modern football, does not meet the requirements – or rather the romantic vision of football – of the ideal number 9, then who does?

Haaland proves that number 9 is not an exact science

The key attributes of the archetypal striker vary from manager to manager, from expert to expert – beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ultimately – but most descriptions will reference many of Haaland’s best strengths. In that sense, he is textbook.

A strong, physical presence, quick, direct and purposeful in movement, aggressive in the press, intelligent in the air and deadly wide of goal. Even more deadly in the penalty area.

Jamie Redknapp believes Haaland has “brought strikers back into fashion”. Compare him to Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins – another standout player from 2023/24 – and the statement rings especially true.

Watkins won the Premier League’s ‘Playmaker of the Year’ award for providing the most assists (13), while Haaland won the Golden Boot for beating all competitors by at least five goals.

Watkins, in Unai Emery’s fluid system, is actively encouraged to drop back and get involved in team play, but he has scored eight fewer goals than his Manchester City counterpart. The England international has also generated lower expected goals, fewer shots on target, taken a lower percentage of touches in the opposition penalty area and forced fewer big turnovers.

Even the most fashionable of No9s – with the possible exception of Kane, who scored 36 Bundesliga goals for Bayern Munich last year – cannot compete with Haaland’s prodigious goal tally. Nor with his ability to almost exclusively reserve all his best moves for the final third, in possession and out of it. Now, he is being encouraged to do so more than ever.

Haaland’s main distinguishing feature, aside from his goals, is his positional discipline, which sees him avoiding most of the ball movement and build-up phases to focus on the final finish.

“My job is not to be like Rodri, to control the game. It’s to be in the penalty area and finish attacks,” he said Sky Sports on opening weekend. “Do I have to be that involved? That’s the million-dollar question.”

The latest evidence suggests not.

Influencing the game without touching the ball?

Few, if any, strikers possess the fear factor that Haaland carries. His presence is enough to unsettle and unnerve even the most steely defenders.

Teams adapt to the threat his actions pose even before he does anything.

Haaland knows, and Guardiola respects, that he is a monster in the penalty area – the best in world football – but rarely a world-class operator outside it. And he doesn’t need to be.

In May, Haaland himself reminded the doubters of an important aspect of his game. “Ultimately, you can play football without touching the ball,” he said.

“You can do it with movements, mentality and awareness. If I can stretch the centre-backs with my runs, it’s difficult, but that’s my job.”

He is right.

Rather than sulking in frustration, chasing play and seeking deeper involvement in areas of the pitch where he cannot score – England fans chastised Kane for such behaviour at Euro 2024 – Haaland bides his time. He waits, he delays, he lingers, he perhaps feigns disinterest. And when the moment comes, he fires up.

It’s an art that few appreciate. The ability of a player to punish any team that dares to doubt his success, even if he has spent a significant portion of the match in relative anonymity.

“His movement is so intelligent,” Micah Richards said on Saturday Night Football recently. “The speed at which he does things makes it so hard to defend against. Once you’re racing him, it’s over.”

This season, Haaland has been more effective than ever, with absolute efficiency. Seven goals with an xG of 3.77. His personal tally is greater than the “goals for” column of any team.

Guardiola is also impressed, which is not surprising. “I like him to run a lot. I like him to press like an animal,” the manager said after beating West Ham.

“There is no center-back (who can stop him), even with a gun. He is so fast, so strong.”

Surrounded by craftsmanship and creativity

Why would we mere mortals dare to question Man City’s near-perfect process? They have won 19 of their 22 Premier League matches in 2024 – drawing three. And Haaland is at the centre of such a potent formula.

Put simply, surround Haaland with midfielders and he will do the rest. City’s squad is full of technicians to support him. It is telling that Haaland is the only player listed as a ‘striker’ on the club’s official website.

Its uniqueness deserves its own category.

“We need the team to play better and better and give him (Haaland) more balls in the final third,” Guardiola said last weekend.

“With Rico (Lewis), Kevin (De Bruyne), (Ilkay) Gundogan, Bernardo (Silva), (James) McAtee, we will create those situations because they are really good in small spaces.”

Add Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Jack Grealish to that list.

Would focusing on pre-goal commitment ultimately benefit Haaland? Or would it overcomplicate what is already the most slick operation?

“He’s playing much better in every way,” Guardiola added. “The details, he stays 20 minutes or half an hour after training sessions. I’m really happy with him.”

Haaland was pretty good before. It’s scary to think he looks even better now.

Watch Manchester City vs Arsenal live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday 22nd September, kick-off at 16:30

(c) Sky Sports 2024: Erling Haaland: Manchester City striker criticised for lack of commitment to the game – does it matter as he scores goals every week?