Looking back on the just-concluded 2022-23 Premier League season, it can be said that there are ups and downs and twists and turns. From the championship between Arsenal and Manchester City to the relegation battle where as many as 9 teams participated, there are all suspenseful and exciting.
However, the answer to one question has always been obvious, and there is no need to guess, that is, the ownership of the Premier League Golden Boot.
Although Haaland came to the Premier League in his first season, he swept away almost all the records of scoring goals here. He still won the top scorer with 36 goals in 35 games without appearing in the last round.
As the first scorer in the history of the Premier League with an average of more than 1 goal per game, Haaland earlier won the titles of the Premier League's official best player and best young player by the way.
Such a sharp striker can only make people ask other questions, such as "how long can he rule the Premier League", or "is the strongest Haaland not here yet".
Completing the jigsaw puzzle for Manchester City
Strictly speaking, Haaland's success is not without doubt.
When Manchester City signed him early a year ago, various experts and media still expressed some doubts about Manchester City's choice based on the principle of "rationality and objectivity".
First, will Guardiola use high center forwards? His entanglement with Ibrahimovic is well known to the world;
Second, although Haaland has high efficiency in the past, he suffered from minor injuries and ailments, and he came from Dortmund. This gives people reason to believe that his data may be watery, which is the "Bundesliga tax" that British fans often talk about.
By January of this year, Manchester City's record had fluctuated, and public opinion's "doubt" about Haaland also reached a peak.
There is a widely circulated saying that the joining of Haaland has actually made Manchester City worse, because he is a pure center who only likes to stay in the penalty area and shoot, while Guardiola's tactics require the frontcourt players to frequently run and change positions To pull the opponent's defense, the contradiction between the two will inevitably lead to the overall imbalance.
After that, Guardiola's reminder before the Champions League round of 16 also confirmed this, "I don't like a player who is just in the penalty area and ready to score. Of course goals are important, but we want from Haaland. It's more than that."
However, even at the most "low" stage, Haaland is unmatched in the Premier League scorer list.
He scored twice in his Premier League debut, scored a hat-trick in his fourth appearance, and scored another hat-trick in his fifth game.
The super high efficiency quickly set a long list of records, such as the player with the most goals in the Premier League in August (5 goals); the most goals in the first 5 Premier League appearances (9 goals); the fastest to reach 10 goals in the Premier League ( 6 games); the fastest 3 hat-tricks in the Premier League (8 games); the fastest scoring 20 goals in a single season in the Premier League (14 games); the fastest scoring 25 goals under Guardiola (20 games) and so on.
It is undeniable that Haaland was able to achieve seamless access from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, and became popular at the beginning of the season. 캡도메인 believes that this must have a lot to do with the team he belongs to.
With the passing master De Bruyne behind him, and first-class wingmen such as Mahrez, Foden and Grealish on both sides, the working environment as a center is really comfortable.
Speaking of this, it cannot but be reminiscent of another super center that Manchester City has chased.
If Kane can really switch to Manchester City in the summer of 2021, maybe Guardiola's team will reach its peak early? Now that Tottenham are down, falling out of the top 7 Europa Conference League in the Premier League, they are not eligible to participate. Kane, who ranks second in the scorer list and is struggling alone, looks at Haaland, who has been assisted 8 times by Tintin Premier League. Wouldn't it be particularly emotional?
In terms of goals, the 3-time Premier League Golden Boot has not lost its standard this year. In the absence of "best partner" Son Heung-Min for a long time, he still scored 30 league goals, including a brace in the last round. Tied the personal best record in a single season.
But this kind of performance in front of Haaland's 36 balls is still not a competitive relationship at all.
Not reached the top after evolution
But obviously, Haaland is not just in the light of Manchester City, his "evolution" also makes Manchester City stronger. As mentioned above, Haaland was not perfect. He was once questioned and received a public "warning" from Guardiola.
After that, the smart Haaland adjusted his style, retreating more to the midfielder to support, and he was also good at playing for his teammates. In April, Manchester City beat Arsenal 4-1, and Haaland assisted De Bruyne twice to score the goal, which is the classic of the former.
In addition, even if the opposing defender is strictly guarded and blocks Manchester City's transport route to No. 9, Haaland also knows how to use this to benefit the team. He no longer struggles with his own touch, and can take away most of the opponent's defensive energy without the ball, creating space for his teammates-a similar situation against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final.
After evolution, Haaland has become more terrifying and more difficult for opponent defenders to defend. Of course, from a data point of view, Haaland in the final stage may not be as "explosive" as the beginning of the season. After scoring 3 goals against Burnley in the FA Cup on March 18, he never performed a hat-trick again, including May. There are only 2 games to open twice.
This has to do with a change in style. Guardiola cherishes Haaland's body very much, and hopes that the boy's use time will be longer and he will not be absent at critical moments, instead of wasting energy on the false name of setting records.
Even so, Haaland still set too many records. In April against the Gunners, Haaland became the player with the most goals scored in a single season in the Premier League 20-team era with 33 goals.
By the beginning of May when he scored against West Ham, he broke the Premier League record with 35 goals. Before that, Andy Cole and Shearer both scored 34 goals in a single season in the Premier League, but there were 22 teams and 42 rounds in the league at that time.
If you count the goals scored in domestic cups and the Champions League, Haaland with 52 goals has also greatly improved the record for the number of goals scored by a Premier League player in a single season. Prior to this, Salah (2017-18) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (2002-03), who tied for the top of the list, had only 44 goals.
Although the 38 rounds of the Premier League are all over now, Haaland still has the task of the FA Cup final and the Champions League final, which means that he can still raise the record even higher.
Also don't forget that Haaland will only turn 23 in July this year. He has not yet reached the golden age of a player, and there must be room for improvement.
It is worth mentioning that Haaland was recently asked "Do you want Messi's left foot or Ronaldo's right foot" in a program, and the answer was "Since my left foot is not bad, I want Ronaldo's right foot" . Haaland has scored with his left foot in 23 of his 36 Premier League goals, and he's certainly not boasting too much. In contrast, the right foot only had 6 times, which is indeed a bit worse.
In addition, Haaland also scored 7 headers, and it seems that he has not fully utilized his height of 1.94 meters. However, there is no need to force this item. After all, Guardiola's tactics are mainly on the ground, and Haaland's foot skills are considered top-notch in the world.