How Striking Viking Erling Haaland rose from the deep to complete Guardiola’s plan against Arsenal

Remember back in January when Erling Haaland had just 19 touches in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United? No matter how many goals he was scoring — and it was lots — Manchester City didn’t seem to be quite as slick as they had been.

Haaland never had a problem putting the ball in the net. It was just that from January 11 until February 22, City’s record in all competitions read: P10 W5 L3 D2. Hardly the City of their recent 90-plus points seasons. Pep Guardiola conceded back then that there was something lacking from their usual fluency and acknowledged that the team hadn’t adapted to Haaland.

‘We have to find him a bit more,’ said Guardiola. ‘It is not the amount of touches, but it is true that when we look at areas, you have to look at him. But we will do it.’

Well, they did it. Or more specifically Guardiola did it. Jamie Carragher has said he thinks this team and that performance in their 4-1 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday may well be driving City to become the greatest ever English team. ‘I cannot recall a game of such stature — a title head-to-head at the climax of a season — that was so one-sided,’ he said.

And Haaland was key, but not in his goalscoring. He had previously always seemed at his best being played in from deep to run past defenders to score. He wasn’t so bothered with getting involved in build-up play, in the way Gabriel Jesus or Sergio Aguero might have done. City were built upon being a passing carousel and with Haaland it seemed they had a cog that wasn’t quite fitting.

Wunderkind Erling Haaland has been directly involved in 57 goals (scored 49, with eight assists) during his jaw-dropping debut season at Manchester City

Wunderkind Erling Haaland has been directly involved in 57 goals (scored 49, with eight assists) during his jaw-dropping debut season at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola conceded earlier on in the season that Manchester City had not yet adapted to Haaland

Pep Guardiola conceded earlier on in the season that Manchester City had not yet adapted to Haaland

All that changed on Wednesday night. Haaland dropped deeper. And in doing so he messed with Arsenal’s heads, disrupting their tactical approach and seizing the initiative. Kevin De Bruyne might have been player of the match but Haaland laid the groundwork for that performance — and not just with his two assists for De Bruyne’s goals.

Look at the average touch map of the City players. You can see that Haaland (9) played deeper than either De Bruyne (17) or Bernardo Silva (20). In fact, his position for the first goal, taking the ball on the halfway line and playing in De Bruyne, was typical of his position all game.

Another example came on 26 minutes, where he fed De Bruyne again, having dropped beyond the centre circle. This was City’s signature move of the evening. On this occasion, Ben White managed a great block to deny De Bruyne. But Arsenal were perplexed by Haaland’s deep position.

As Bernardo Silva said, Arsenal like to play man-to-man with their centre-halves on the strikers. It left Rob Holding with a huge dilemma: if he followed Haaland into deeper areas, he was leaving the gaps into which De Bruyne could run. 

Or he could hold his ground, but that meant Thomas Partey was overwhelmed in midfield. Often he was caught between two stools, meaning it was the worst of all worlds for Arsenal.

Guardiola always wants to achieve a midfield numerical supremacy in a game, because that is where he thinks it is won or lost. His problem was that his protege, Mikel Arteta, thinks exactly the same.

The standard way of achieving that this season has been to use what have become known as inverted full-backs, which is to say a full-back will go and play alongside the holding midfielder when his team has possession. John Stones has done it for City and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Arsenal. Yet Guardiola went with Kyle Walker on Wednesday night at right-back and Stones played a traditional centre-half role.

Walker is a player who Guardiola says isn’t comfortable tucking into midfield in that way. But he went for Walker as a conventional right-back, probably because he was worried about the threat of Arsenal’s wide players in Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

ON THE MAP: De Bruyne (17) and Silva (20) played further upfield than Haaland (9)

ON THE MAP: De Bruyne (17) and Silva (20) played further upfield than Haaland (9)

Haaland drops deep when Man City were out of possession against Arsenal, giving them an extra man in midfield

Haaland drops deep when Man City were out of possession against Arsenal, giving them an extra man in midfield

But when City did turn possession over, Haaland was in a position to lead the counter-attack at speed

But when City did turn possession over, Haaland was in a position to lead the counter-attack at speed

The Norwegian striker took up a deeper position than his midfield team-mates De Bruyne (right) and Silva

The Norwegian striker took up a deeper position than his midfield team-mates De Bruyne (right) and Silva

But Guardiola wasn’t going to give up on getting extra numbers into midfield. Which is where Haaland played his part. By dropping so deep, he discombobulated Arsenal. They needed to react but froze.

In their frustration, they lost their nerve. Eventually they started playing loose balls or just hitting and hoping, with the crowd, smelling blood, roaring in delight when they did so, adding to their discomfort.

Master versus the apprentice. Arsenal looked so bewildered because of Haaland’s positioning. Not content with being the most fearsome striker, he now also appears to be a formidable provider of assists.

As our ancestors would no doubt have warned us, wherever you run, you’re never safe from a Viking marauder.

sports lottery

General Billing Rules

The early settlement function is only applicable to some live betting markets, and members can make early settlement when the betting is live. Please forgive me if you find any inconvenience caused by "all transactions will be canceled after a live ball is scored".
The advance settlement amount already includes the principal, please note!
The "Odds" or "Markets" for all events determine the amount of early settlement. If the amount changes or the opening of the market is suspended during early settlement, it may lead to the failure of early settlement. If the event has not yet concluded, the early settlement function may appear again.
If the system successfully accepts the early settlement of the bet, the member will not be able to cancel the transaction that has been settled in advance. The amount of bets that are successfully settled in advance will be directly returned to the member's account, and the bet will no longer be affected by the final settlement and official results of the betting event.
If the bet that was successfully settled in advance is canceled for some reason (such as VAR assistance-goals are not counted), the amount of the bet that was settled in advance will be deducted from the member's account. If the event has not ended yet, the early settlement function may appear again, otherwise the betting will be based on the event or official final result. The company reserves the right of final interpretation, please pay attention!
When this website announces the early settlement amounts of all events, if any typos or unintentional human errors occur, the company reserves the right to cancel any bets with wrong early settlement amounts and publish them with information, please pay attention!
The company reserves the right to turn on or off the early settlement function of any event, and to cancel or reject the player's early settlement transaction.
In case of event cancellation or cut in half, the bets settled in advance after the interruption of the event will be cancelled, the amount settled in advance of the bet will be deducted from the member's account and the original betting amount will be returned; the bets settled in advance before the interruption of the event will still be considered It is a "valid bet slip".

Sports Event Casino Handicap Description

PK0It means not giving in to each other, and winning 1 point wins all.
0-500/0.5Indicates that when the handicap team is tied with the transferee team, the team betting on the handicap loses 50%.
0 loss0.5Indicates that when the handicap team is tied with the transferee team, the team betting on the handicap loses.
1+500.5/1When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 1 point, the team betting on the handicap wins 50% and wins all 2 points.
1 level1Indicates that when the handicap team wins the handicap team by 1 point, the two teams will tie and win by 2 points.
1-501/1.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 1 point, the team betting on the handicap loses 50% and wins all 2 points.
1 loss1.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 1 point, the team betting on the handicap loses all and wins by 2 points.
2+501.5/2When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 2 points, the team betting on the handicap wins 50% and wins all 3 points.
2 flat2Indicates that when the handicap team wins the handicap team by 2 points, the two teams will tie and win all 3 points.
2 losses2/2.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 2 points, the team betting on the handicap loses 50% and wins all 3 points.
3+502.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 2 points, the team betting on the handicap loses all and wins all 3 points.
3 losses2.5/3When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 3 points, the team betting on the handicap wins 50%, and all 4 points win.
3 levels3Indicates that when the handicap team wins the handicap team by 3 points, the two teams will tie and win all 4 points.
3-503/3.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 3 points, the team betting on the handicap loses 50% and wins all 4 points.
3 losses3.5When the handicap team wins the handicap team by 3 points, the team betting on the handicap loses all and wins all 4 points.
Sports Event Casino Handicap Description

It is not uncommon to play bingo and three-star lottery in the lottery, and even out of the trend of the times. In addition to these basic lottery games, the online Luck9 casino also provides "Beijing Racing", "Hong Kong Horse Racing", "Bingo", etc., which can be said to be the most popular betting items in Taiwan. In addition to the public welfare lottery betting types issued by the government itself, DG Baccarat also has the most abundant and diverse combinations, allowing players to freely match the size, single and double, and string games, and get the best odds in Oberbet. The gameplay is diverse, so it is very popular among JILIACE casino players

Entertainment city evaluation details

The leading brand of Luck9 online casino gaming in the world, registered in the legal gaming industry in the Philippines and other countries, with millions of registered players. Legal business licenses with gaming industry markets include JILIACE Casino and KG Casino.
Provide the gaming experience of a real casino, Luck9 Baccarat, Salon Baccarat, DG Baccarat, WM Baccarat, KU Baccarat, BET Racing, BET Horse Racing, P8Poker, BS Blackjack, KU Sports , KU sports, BS slot machine, UC8 slot machine, salon slot machine, AV actress baccarat and other casino games.
While players are having fun in JILIACE Casino and LUCK9 Casino, we are also committed to product development and updates, so that our games fully support PC, tablet, and mobile phones. Customers can get started directly without downloading or installing.
It has been continuously providing distinctive deposit discounts and other promotional activities for the loyal customers of the casino. Open an account at LUCK9 Casino and enjoy all the online entertainment offers and the top gaming experience beyond your imagination.
LUCK9 casino provides your favorite sports betting. Such as the English Premier League (English Premier League), Spanish League, Champions League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, NFL, NBA, NCAA, women's basketball, volleyball, F4 racing, etc. Provide you with more than 4,000 live football matches for you to bet on every month.
In the live casino, you can enjoy the entire luxury casino and beautiful Taiwanese dealers. LUCK9 Casino and KG Casino have a variety of products for you to choose from, such as Live Baccarat, Live Sic Bo, Live Dragon Tiger and Live Roulette. You can also choose easy-to-use online slot machines or BET lottery to pass the time.
The only casino preferred LUCK9 casino.

Baccarat is a poker game and one of the most common games in casinos. Baccarat originated in Italy, was introduced to France in the 15th century, and was popular in Britain and France in the 19th century. Today, baccarat is one of the most popular games played in Luck9 casinos around the world. Among casinos in Macau, the number of baccarat gaming tables is the largest among Luck9 casinos in the world. The special feature of baccarat is that it adopts the first deal and then the betting method. After the dealer deals the cards, players can choose the position they want to bet on and make bets. The game process is more fair and impartial.

Online gaming refers to games played with other players over the Internet. Common online games include role-playing games, strategy games, shooting games, racing games, board games, etc. Players can fight or compete with other players or computers via the Internet, and can communicate and cooperate with other players.

The benefits of online gambling include:

Convenience: The game can be played anytime and anywhere, no specific equipment or venue is required.

Diversity: You can choose a variety of different games to meet different preferences and needs.

Social: You can communicate and cooperate with other players to increase your social network.

Competition: You can compete with other players to improve your skills and abilities.

Entertainment: Can bring entertainment and relaxation to players.

However, online gambling also has some risks and problems, such as addiction, time consumption, money transactions involved, and so on. Therefore, you need to pay attention to self-protection when playing online games, and abide by the rules of the game and relevant laws and regulations.

Here are some common sports betting plays:

Winning the Game: This is one of the most common sports betting variants where players bet on which team or athlete will win the game before it starts.

Handicap Market: This bet is based on point difference, and punters must predict whether the winner's point difference is greater or less than a preset point difference.

Over/Under: This bet is based on the total points scored in the game, and punters must predict whether the total points in the game will be greater or less than the preset score.

Specific Event Markets: This type of betting usually involves specific events in the game, such as first score, player scoring, free throw percentage, etc., and the punter must predict whether the specific event will occur or be achieved.

Online betting: This type of play refers to betting while the game is in progress, and the punter can change the bet at any time and make a decision based on the real-time situation of the game.

It should be noted that sports betting is a high-risk gambling activity that needs to be treated with caution. It is recommended to gamble on legal betting websites and bet according to your own financial ability.

Recommended online casinos by country

國家 Country線上娛樂城名稱 Online Casino Name熱門評分 Popular Score賭場評分 Casino Rating
台灣 TaiWanTHA娛樂城★★★★★★★★
台灣 TaiWanHKING娛樂城★★★★★★★★
台灣 TaiWan富遊娛樂城★★★★★★★★
台灣 TaiWan玖天娛樂城★★★★★★★★
台灣 TaiWan899電子遊戲城★★★★★★★★
台灣 TaiWanKING GAME娛樂城/KG娛樂城★★★☆★★★☆
菲律賓 PhilippinesLUCK9 Online Casino★★★☆★★★☆
菲律賓 PhilippinesKingGame Online Casino/KG Online Casino★★★☆★★★☆
菲律賓 PhilippinesOKBET Online Casino ★★★☆★★★☆
菲律賓 PhilippinesJILIBET Online Casino★★★☆★★★☆
越南 VietnamTHA Online Casino★★★★★★★★
越南 VietnamKUBET Online Casino★★★★★★★★
香港 HongKong8VITORY娛樂城★★★★★★★★
香港 HongKongSTARWIN娛樂城★★★★★★★★

發佈留言

發佈留言必須填寫的電子郵件地址不會公開。 必填欄位標示為 *