Published: October 3, 2021 6:59 pm
Last Updated: October 3, 2021 10:33 pm
Erling Haaland continues to shine
Along with Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland looks set to be one of the standout footballers of the next decade.
Despite only recently turning 21, Haaland has already cemented his status as one of the best centre-forwards in the world.
The Norwegian combines pace, power and some seriously lethal finishing to make up a truly sensational striker.
For his current club, Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has scored 68 and provided 19 assists in just 67 outings – a goal contribution record generally reserved for players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA – JULY 29: Virgil van Dijk of FC Liverpool during the friendly match between Hertha BSC and FC Liverpool at Tivoli Stadion on July 29, 2021 in Innsbruck, Austria. (Photo by Jan-Philipp Burmann/City-Press via Getty Images)
Van Dijk explains why Haaland is so difficult to play against
This season alone, Haaland has scored 11 and assisted four in just eight outings for BVB, including one in one in the Champions League.
And now, Virgil van Dijk, arguably the best centre-back in the world at present, has opened up on the challenges of marking Haaland.
VVD has not played against the hitman since his switch to Dortmund. However, he did face him when he was still at RB Salzburg.
And now, van Dijk has explained why Haaland is just so difficult to play against, pointing towards his strength and speed as key:
“Haaland is a special striker, because he’s so strong, he’s quick, he’s got all the attributes to make a defender’s life very difficult.
“The first time [I played him] was when he came on at Anfield. He was at Salzburg and he got a tap-in and he scored.
“Obviously in the away game he didn’t. He got subbed after 65 minutes or something but it was a very tough one, he was very quick, aggressive, very direct.”
Quotes via the Mirror.
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This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 7 | 12 | 16 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 7 | 8 | 14 |
| 4 | Everton FC | 7 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 7 | -5 | 10 |
| 10 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 11 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 7 | -1 | 9 |
| 12 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Watford FC | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 7 | -7 | 6 |
| 17 | Southampton FC | 7 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 7 | -6 | 3 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 7 | -8 | 3 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 7 | -14 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 3 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Hwang, Hee-chan | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 4 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 4 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Veltman, Joel | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 3 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Djenepo, Moussa | Southampton FC | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 1 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Jimenez, Raul | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Azpilicueta, Cesar | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
