Erling Haaland: The Unstoppable Goal Scorer

Erling Haaland has already scored nine goals in the first four Premier League games of the season, putting him on track to achieve an impressive 85 goals by May. However, such extrapolation of early-season statistics should be approached with caution. It is more certain that Haaland will not score 85 league goals this season than his securing a third consecutive "Golden Boot" title. Statistical anomalies do exist, though, and if the Premier League has ever known a player who could be described as an exception, it would be Haaland. A closer look at his nine goals reveals that they resulted from 20 shots — no other player in this Premier League season has taken more shots. Almost every other shot by Haaland finds the net, underscoring his accuracy despite the slump towards the end of last season. Were it not for the final minutes of Manchester City's 2-1 victory over Brentford, in which Haaland unsuccessfully attempted to score his 100th goal and his third consecutive hat-trick, this ratio would be even more impressive. No player, since the Truman Doctrine and the founding of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, has achieved three consecutive hat-tricks. Opposing defenders are desperately seeking new ways to stop him, while journalists are looking for novel ways to describe his brilliance. Haaland's first attempt of the season found the net against Chelsea. He carried the ball deep into the penalty area before fooling the goalkeeper with a reverse finish, an atypical goal for Haaland, who does not usually operate in tight spaces. The penalty that paved the way for his hat-trick against Ipswich Town was driven hard and precisely into the left corner. Haaland tends to rely on both power and placement for penalties. His second goal that day was more delicate — a soft header that overcame the goalkeeper and floated into the net. This technique is comparable to his preference for precise finishes when he is one-on-one with the goalkeeper. If one wants to stop Haaland, he should be restricted to headers. Although he is physically imposing, his heading ability is considered a weakness. This season, he has yet to score from any of his four headed attempts. Nonetheless, out of 58 headed attempts in his Premier League career, he has scored 11 times — a respectable ratio. Haaland is most dangerous when the ball is on the ground. Even if defenders push him off balance and block spaces, he often needs only one touch, as with his first goal against Brentford or the hat-trick attempt, where two shots followed within four seconds. Haaland's attempt to score another hat-trick on Saturday was understandable, especially following the death of Ivar Eggja, the right-hand man and best friend of his father Alfie, as well as a key figure in Haaland's team. Eggja left a profound impact, and the team organized a wreath as a sign of remembrance. Although there was ultimately no hat-trick to honor the man Haaland affectionately called "Uncle," there will surely be many more opportunities in the future to pay tribute to the phenomenon that emerged under Eggja's guidance.