Haaland would score MORE goals at Chelsea or Man Utd

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 15 Mar 2023 13:17 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland might be the deadliest striker on the planet, but he would score even more goals at the likes of Manchester United or Chelsea.

Haaland hit the back pages once again on Tuesday for his goal scoring exploits as he netted an incredible five times in Man City’s 7-0 Champions League win over RB Leipzig, equalling Lionel Messi’s record for goals in a single game.

Indeed, there are those who believe that Haaland would have grabbed a double hat-trick had manager Pep Guardiola not replaced him after scoring his fifth.

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The 22-year-old Norway international, who joined City last summer in a €60 million move for Dortmund after they beat off intense competition, has netted an incredible 39 goals from 36 matches. This is more than any Manchester City striker has managed in a single season - and there are still two months of the campaign left to play. He is averaging more than a goal-per-game in both the Premier League and Champions League.

And yet there remains a sense that Man City and Haaland are not a match made in heaven because of Pep Guardiola’s measure style of passing football.

That is backed up by data analytics experts SciSports, who suggest that the striker would be even more dangerous playing at a side like Chelsea or Manchester United.

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Haaland can get even deadlier

In partnership with FootballTransfers, SciSports expert Yash Shah explains: “Haaland excels as a poacher or mobile striker. He is someone who is a very involved in the penalty box but does not create too many chances or is involved with defensive actions.

“This is opposite to the forwards that City have used under Pep. Particularly after Aguero left, City have flourished playing false 9s or shadow strikers – someone with fluid movement who can function both wide and centrally., and thereby excel in a possession-heavy system. The likes of Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and even Julian Alvarez were not very involved inside the penalty area but offer much more offensive contributions in possession.

“This is a profile that Haaland does not align with much. He would be much better suited to a team whose style is based more on simulating counters and transitions. Chelsea or Man Utd would certainly be a good fit with their preference for strikers who thrive in the penalty box.”

Incredible as it may seem, Haaland may not yet have touched the peak of his scoring powers.