Roy Keane claimed Erling Haaland is League Two standard
Critic Roy Keane disparaged the Norwegian striker for Manchester City, calling him “almost like a League Two player,” and fellow pundit Micah Richards pointed out a serious concern he had observed.
Liverpool once again held the title after a hard-fought 0-0 draw between Man City and Arsenal on Sunday. It was the first time Pep Guardiola’s team had been held scoreless in 57 home games in all competitions. Erling Haaland’s subpar display was a big part of the reason why.
Since joining from Borussia Dortmund, the City striker has scored goals whenever he feels like it. Last season, he led his team to an unprecedented treble.
It is impossible to doubt his goal-scoring prowess, but his wider game has drawn harsh criticism.
The formidable Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba largely held Haaland in check. They matched the frontman physically and didn’t even smell him on the ground.
With a well-established relationship with Erling’s father, Alf-Inge, pundit Roy Keane severely criticized the striker while calling the shots for the match and Haaland in particular.
Keane said, “He’s almost like a League Two player.”
“He plays at such a low level overall. And not only today, but also generally, Keane remarked.
He is the greatest goalie in the world, but his overall play is appalling.
“He has the build of a League Two player. That’s how I perceive him. He needs to play better overall.
“Over the next few years, it will suffice. Being such a talented striker is great, but he needs to work on his all-around game.
Micah Richards, a fellow pundit and former Man City right-back, added to the criticism by pointing out that Haaland lacks hold-up play. “Haaland hold-up play needs work, for sure.”
The Norwegian is without a doubt one of the Premier League’s strongest players, but Richards feels he doesn’t make the most of his physicality.
Richards started, “If you look at the tactics of the game, Arsenal would put five or six players [up the pitch] almost like man-to-man when Man City had a goal-kick.”
“So Ortega’s looking for an out-ball, the ball crossed the plate, and he’s not using his strength, size, or hold-up play to draw teammates into the game.”
Haaland’s performance raised questions for Dave Jones, the host, so Richards said, “It’s never a concern because you’ve always got quality players, Foden, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva… he will get fed.”
“He’s still scored a lot of goals, as we’ve seen both this season and last.” However, we’re constantly considering how players can improve, and I simply believe that his hold-up play could use some fine tuning.
