So Erling Haaland went two whole games without scoring for Manchester City and all did not seem correct in the world of football. Like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before him you see their teams have won and you just expect and expected their names would follow. Not always the case, what is the case is that these players will then lick their wounds and go on a rampage and Haaland has struck back with a vengeance to score 6 goals in his last two games.
This past weekend the Norwegian scored a crucial match winning penalty against Crystal Palace and then followed that up with five, yes five goals against RB Leipzig in the knock out stage of the Champions League. It was a game in which City won 7-0, 8-1 on aggregate as they make their credentials known to their Champions League rivals once again.
It is incredible to think that despite having notched 28 goals so far in the Premier League and 39 overall in all competitions that there remains some critics of the forward who could easily pass for a brother of Thor in the Marvel films. His critics will tell you that City isn't the right club for him because of the way they play. Granted at perhaps Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona or even PSG their play may get more sprinting out of Haaland, we may see better goals which are always going to be comfort viewing as the seasons go on. How many of us have rewatched some of the stunning goals scored by Messi and Ronaldo over the years? Perhaps this season in the league for City there are not many golden egg goals so to speak from Haaland, but there are goals and that is what he is employed to deliver. Some of the goals especially against RB Leipzig as an example may look easy, but if that was the case then why wasn't Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus scoring so many for the same club before him? Haaland is an incredibly talented player who puts himself in the right positions, he is always there, and he is evidently always scoring.
In the Champions League Haaland now has 33 goals and aged just 22 he has flown past the likes of Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Samuel Eto'o and he is only four goals shy of hauling in Ferenc Puskas the Real Madrid legend. Records fell against Leipzig too as Haaland officially became Manchester City's leading goalscorer over a season with his 39th goal. That record had stood for a cool 94 years when Tommy Johnson netted 38 times. Haaland still has a potential 19 games left in all competitions and is set to join an elite list of players who have scored 50 or more goals in one season in all competitions. It is currently headed by Messi who has the record at 73. With 11 games of the season to go Dixie Dean's record of 60 looks set to stay but Haaland is well on course to obliterate the Premier League record which is 34 goals for a 42 game season held by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer and 32 goals for a normal 38 game season held by Mohamed Salah. It would be no surprise if Haaland was to reach 40 goals. Of course having said all of this if Manchester City were to end up with no silverware this season there would certainly be an empty feeling to Haaland's heroics, so he will know what has to be done as City enter into the business end of the season. Currently they trail Arsenal by 5 points in the league, have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and now the quarter finals of the Champions League it is all to play for and even for Haaland he is being asked to obtain another level, because football never stops asking.
To win the Premier League: Arsenal 1.72, Manchester City 2.25, Manchester United 101.00
Antonio Conte's tenure at Tottenham is set to end without any trophies and quite frankly apart from some speedbumps it is has been a turgid time for the club with the Italian at the helm. Conte has never really belonged or wanted to belong as manager of Tottenham and you always got the feeling that his thoughts were elsewhere as if he looked at Tottenham like he could do better being somewhere else. Indeed Conte's commitment to Tottenham reminds one of how Jose Mourinho and Manchester United did not gel together. At least though Mourinho walked away with a couple of trophies, Conte won't. It has to be jarring for the players and fans the amount of times usually after a defeat that Conte has come out to the press and hinted that he could leave, it has been quite frankly unprofessional, he has at times almost invited the sack and yet his contract ends in June- can he not get away quick enough? If Conte goes that is not the worry for Tottenham fans but Harry Kane leaving the club is and he is being tipped to leave this summer possibly for Manchester United.
Joining United seems like it would be a good fit for Kane especially teaming up with his England teammate Marcus Rashford and of course Kane is desperate to win trophies and may have a more realistic chance doing so with the Red Devils. Kane will also have the chance to continue in the Premier League and try to break Alan Shearer's record of 260 goals so talk that he could move abroad does not, at this time, seem realistic and United remain the favourites to capture his signature.
Harry Kane next club after the summer transfer window (not including staying at Tottenham) Manchester United 3.00, Bayern Munich 10.00, Newcastle 21.00, Real Madrid 26.00, Barcelona 34.00
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