Goals are still pouring in for Erling Braut Haaland (22), but the Norwegian’s average goals are not the best in the major European leagues.
One of them who is narrowly ahead is Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona. The Pole scored two more goals when Barcelona beat Elche 3-0 on Saturday. Haaland scored one goal, as City beat Wolverhampton with the same score.
They are the best strikers in the world now. One is 22 and the other is 34, Jan Ag Feuertoft says of Haaland and Lewandowski.
The former Bundesliga duo could boast insane goal rates at the start of the 2022/23 season:
- Haaland has 14 goals in 10 matches. he has 1.53 Scores in 90 minutes.
- Lewandowski 11 goals in 8 games and 1.57 Scores in 90 minutes.
Looking at the players in the top five leagues who have played at least five games this season, the duo’s average goalscorer have only been lost by Udinese striker Beto. The Portuguese has four goals in six matches, but when he came off the bench in four matches, he can boast of averaging 1.58 goals per 90 minutes.
See the stats below.
The average score is just one of the many similarities between Haaland and Lewandowski. In the run-up to City’s game against Wolverhampton on Saturday afternoon, BT Sport provided a statistic as it looked closely at the number of touches star players have per goal.
Since Haaland’s first match with Borussia Dortmund in 2020, he’s scored every 28 times he’s been in contact with the ball. Only another person can point out similar numbers, and that is Lewandowski, who scores for every 33 touches.
– Lewandowski several years ago was a copy of Marco van Basten, the best striker I’ve ever seen. Then comes Erling, who has scored 100 goals since leaving Red Bull Salzburg. This is an absolutely incredible statistic. It is a privilege to experience two of the best strikers of our time at the moment, says Fjørtoft. The former national team striker has followed both strikers closely in recent years, and was also central to a recent Viaplay documentary about Haaland’s selection for the club.
Watch where Haaland and Lewandowski score on the field their goals.
Viaplay expert Lars Theranos cites stability as the most striking similarity between Haaland and Lewandowski.
Remember that we are talking about two of the most comprehensively analyzed attackers in the world. All teams and defenders in theory know everything about how to stop them. But week after week, almost nobody manages it, Tjærnås tells VG.
The other – and the similarity that is a bit underrated – is how much more than scorers they are. Lewandowski is also a very smart attacking combination, especially since the collaboration between him and Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich gave Aha experiences to his football intelligence. Erling continues to be a player who connects defenders and also does a great job at pressing.
Tjærnås further explains that they both have the ability to score from different angles and distances, with both legs and head.
The biggest difference is in body and physique. Erling is physical stuff, which means he wins more physically strong matches, and even better with defenders close to his body. Lewandowski is a very smart person, who can find holes that almost no one sees, and can see many forward moves. Tjærnås says he has a silky smooth finish, while Erling is a better player from long distance.
Watch Haaland’s goal and the rest of the shots from City’s 3-0 win over Wolverhampton.
Lewandowski was the league’s top scorer in all of Haaland’s seasons in the Bundesliga. In the 2020/21 season, he broke the record set by 49-year-old Gerd Muller when he scored 41 goals in 29 league games.
Now experts in England are wondering if Haaland can achieve the Premier League scoring record. Alan Shearer and Andy Cole scored 34 goals in the 93/94 and 94/95 seasons, respectively, but then in 42 league rounds. Liverpool star Mohamed Salah holds the record for the number of goals in 38 league rounds. Al-Masry scored 32 goals in his first season on 17/18.
– He’s on the right track, my advice is 35 goals. He has a chance to set records, because in the team he dominates in total. He gets at least one chance per turn. Good chances, not half chances. He’s a great footballer, but the most important factor is that he has the hunger and will to do it, says studio Rio Ferdinand BT Sports.
– Show that he is able to score in different ways. I don’t think there is a defender today who can stop everything he brings. I think he was there when Andy Cole and Alan Shearer played, says former Manchester City goalkeeper Jolyon Lescott.
Haaland was not completely satisfied with the photographer on his way to the break against Wolverhampton.
Shearer is also the player to score the most goals in Premier League history, with a total of 260 goals. Experts also wonder if Haaland can beat this record.
– It’s too early to say. I don’t know if he’ll be here long enough to break that record, but I think he’ll set a new record for goals this season, Lescott assures.
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