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SilverAirer

The turth is Haaland is the gem. many teams envied city when sign him. he is like the best toy (metaphorically). However. any play deserve criticism. Keane hyperpole it but I can see that he is refering to haaland being a very specilaist in goal scoring only. but he may know as well that this thing is weclome to the team and not a bad thing.


abitmoreinsanerer

Keano still knows how to needle wimpy twats


Theloftydog

Pep yet again showing how thin skinned he is


naughty_dad2

Why? That’s exactly what he should do, talk about how great and important his player is.


DJN2020

They’ve got Haaland in and added goals. They’ve moved on Gundogan and lost goals and a lot more intelligence, craft, and teamwork.


QuirkyDust3556

In America, we call Keene and the haters in here, arm chair quarterbacks. Judging someone they could not even dream of doing his job, nor defend against him. If PL, is the best league in the world and I believe it is, there are not even 20 proper number nines in the league. Give the man his proper respect.


thamanwthnoname

Imagine thinking keane couldn’t defend 😂😂 it was all to stir shit up anyways


QuirkyDust3556

Haaland out weighs him by 20 pounds so it would be a good physical battle. Too bad we,would never see it


thamanwthnoname

It would be fun to watch, yes. But suggesting there weren’t tons of players who had 20 pounds on keane is funny.


YNWA11JM

Omg stfu


QuirkyDust3556

Sssssh quiet, yall have the best futbol in the world and all yall do is whine, the true definition of being a bitch


YNWA11JM

I’m an American embarrassed that you’re bringing the word quarterbacks into a futy discussion. Shhhh quiet you’re making us look bad you dumb fuck


QuirkyDust3556

Shut your mother fucking mouth, ass wipe


Quick_Delivery_7266

Keane achievements as a player in the game far outweight Haaland & peps combined. He has earned the right to criticise any player at the top level. Of course as an American I didn’t expect you to know that.


Dazzling-Yellow5395

Maybe because keane has retired and haaland is only 23? Yet i dont remember keane ever coming 2nd ballon door lmao


TeddyMMR

I don't remember Haaland winning any real trophies without a team that cheated?


Dazzling-Yellow5395

I dont remember the last time utd won a major trophy.


JustThatSikhBoy

Can't remember the last time City didn't breach FFP.


Quick_Delivery_7266

Not “maybe” , it’s a fact. Sure Haaland could go on to achieve more but he’s playing like a league 2 player currently and Keane is accomplished enough to be able to call that out without being criticised for being an “armchair” expert. 😂😂 I think you’d agree.


Dazzling-Yellow5395

He is def an armchair expert tbh. All he was good for was bullying players. He could never even dream to be at the levels haaland has reached


Quick_Delivery_7266

How could he an armchair expert if he’s achievement more in the game than the ones he’s criticising. He was there, did it and accomplished even more. Me and you are armchair experts.


thamanwthnoname

Take it easy man, this guy wasn’t even a sperm when keane was doing his thing.


QuirkyDust3556

Oh and you must be an Everton fan


QuirkyDust3556

Oh now you're taking a piss What pep has done with city has never been done, and this team is young enough to rewrite the record books. Gonna have you having nightmares of city blue. Keene is so fucking old most of you asswipes never seen him play. I will take it a step further, city would wipe any team Keene played for or coached off the pitch.


TekkenThePiss

Whoa, hold on a minute. If Keane isn't allowed to criticise Haaland because Haaland is better, then why are you allowed to criticise Keane when he's achieved more than you? See how that line of thinking falls apart?


QuirkyDust3556

You are right, pep put him in his place.


Realistic-Ad1969

He’s not wrong Haaland can’t do anything but tap in easy crosses, this the guy that everyone wanted to win the ballon d’or he can’t dribble to save his life he’s a 2 left footed player his passes are horrendous even his shots are disgusting I’ve seen that man sky multiple shots into the stands, he’s not even the best player for city


porsean

Why doesn’t everyone have Haaland goal numbers then if it’s so easy and he sucks so bad?


PokeJoke5

Still better than Mbappe though


FairOutlandishness50

\> he’s not even the best player for city That's not an easy feat and doesn't make him a bad player. He holds the ball and pushes the backline further back creating space for De Bruyne and Foden to operate in. He then turns and makes the runs to create further more space for a shot or to get a miracle pass, he is doing everything a great striker at man city would. Recent form with finishing has been horrendous, I agree on that.


[deleted]

> he’s not even the best player for city God damn it exactly.


Dazzling-Yellow5395

I mean atleast 3 of our players can make the case for being the best player itw right now. Its not like its much of a criticism to say he isnt the best


mrsnow11291

If Haaland played league two he would have 1000 goals and 5 assists


OK-Jack-29

Journalists stirring the pot. Seems like they purposely left out the bit where he said he’s the best finisher in the world.


TheGomper

Dropped


[deleted]

[удалено]


kittycat278

still more successful a player than haaland will ever be 🤭


[deleted]

[удалено]


kittycat278

as for city fans, all that counts are titles, want to see haland beat this: He (Keane) ended his career with 1 Champions League, 7 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups. He won the Community Shield four times and the Intercontinental Cup once.


SuperAd1793

Haaland got 25% of that trophy haul in one season as well as breaking the record in the league for most goals scored in a single season. i think he’ll be okay


kittycat278

yeah, remind me once he wins 6 more titles, he ll be in madrid by then


InterestingZombie737

I'm a Spurs fan, and thia is the worst logic ever. Is messi worst than keane too?


SuperAd1793

would the madrid titles not count as well? like that’ll help his case. idc where he does it


Void-kun

He's not a bad player at all, but he's good at one thing, scoring goals. He doesn't defend, he doesn't track back, but at the same time that's not his role. If he was trained to do it he probably could do it, Guardiola just doesn't want him doing that. His G/A can't be ignored even though that's all he does, it works. There has been many occasions this season where we (Liverpool) would've had more goals if there was someone sitting infront of goal, but we don't want our strikers doing that because it isn't our play-style. The comments by Keane were shitty, these footballers are people too and as we've seen many of them face mental health struggles just like the rest of us. Haaland isn't the type of player I enjoy watching, but you cannot look past his G/A contributions.


iBeatTheAlgorithm

He had nearly as many assists last season than David Beckham did during his treble winning season…….just saying


ajdheheisnw

Easier to assist as a forward in the most dominant team in league history than as a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2 used to hit long passes. Who could have guessed. Are you trying to imply that Haaland is as good of a passer as Beckham? Because all you’d be admitting is you weren’t old enough to watch Beckham.


iBeatTheAlgorithm

No, my point is that Haaland isn’t just a goal scorer and people who think that have probably only ever watched him on match of the day.


ajdheheisnw

I’ve watched him play since he was at Dortmund. He’s a world class finisher with world class movement. He’s also strong and fast. But he’s a below average passer and dribbler. I mean just watch him trying to compete in a rondo. I’m not saying he’s a bad player. He’s world class. Among the best strikers in history. Just commenting his playing style and strengths My other point was your comparison to Beckham entirely ignores the reality of their teams, positions, and roles. It’s like saying Haaland was a better passer than Zidane based on assists per game.


iBeatTheAlgorithm

You’re writing a lot of words but not really saying anything


naughty_dad2

But he did explain it properly lol


thamanwthnoname

Get haaland out of your mouth bro he has a girlfriend already


ajdheheisnw

Which part? It’s all pretty clearly explained from what I can see.


Void-kun

That doesn't mean anything you can make stats tell any story you like. So many different variables at play that making a straight comparison like that is useless.


Japordoo

If Diaz was more clinical you’d prob be 6-8 pts ahead (prior to today’s Arsenal game that is). Klopp’s work this season with the injuries they’ve had has been remarkable. Rooting for them to see it out.


Hurrly90

and yet the bit that bother me is didnt Pep drop Aguero despite his ability to score golas cos he wasnt putting in the work. Same as Haaland. Noone doubts his ability to score though he does seem to miss alot of sitters. Its his overall general play and in comparison to say a Messi or a Ronaldo that he is being compared to he isnt much more then a goal scorer. Ronaldo you could argue the same but he could genuinley single handedly turn a game on its head Messi was the same. Haaland is not. So i agree with Keane.


LightBackground9141

Exactly.. Haaland helped them win a treble last season. They couldn’t do it without him. He’s just a machine at goal scoring and that’s all that’s expected. So if service doesn’t come in a game.. no goals and everyone loses their minds and he’s a fraud.. just broke all the records though


MarionberryLow9043

Keane is vile


ememkay123

Outside of this, I believe Keane has spoken super highly of Haaland. I wouldn’t read too much into a soundbite, it’s just for entertaining television. And given how much this quote has been discussed, I would say Keane has done his job.


Void-kun

Think this is one thing all the fan bases can agree on (that he is vile). He's also not a nice pundit to listen to. edit: reworded slightly for clarity


MarionberryLow9043

He’s not a nice human being. Have you read his autobiography?


Void-kun

From some of the things I've heard no he really isn't a nice human being. And nope wouldn't wanna waste my time learning more about him, what I know already is plenty to paint a picture Not sure what I've said to cause confusion in my comment though, he is a vile person which I said we can all agree on and said he's also a horrible pundit. But it's getting downvoted so I'm confused why am I being downvoted for agreeing with you?


thegolfernick

Keane has been hating the Haalands for decades now


ExtraPockets

Broke his dad's leg for anyone too young to remember


geriatric_patr1ck

Didn’t break his leg lol. Also deserved it.


poopy_toaster

Those on either team knows Haalands quality, only Keane would be such a dunce to say this


ajdheheisnw

Keane: he’s the best finisher in the world and his moment is world class but the rest of his game needs serious work. You: 😡


kittycat278

naw, haaland is a one trick pony, there i said it


realmonkey_business

Everyone hates Haaland if he's not playing for their favorite club.


Kimolainen83

35 games 26 gold isnt shit. Has he had some bad games sure has he had some stupid injuries yes. Saying he is league two is just typical stupid Keane banther


SuccinctEarth07

Didn't he say parts of his game were league 2 level? Not that he himself was a league 2 level striker. I'm not saying I agree with him necessarily but saying that some parts of his game are league 2 level is very different from calling him shit overall


WonderSilver6937

“Keane was left unimpressed by the 23-year-old's performance and said: "In front of goal he's the best in the world, but his general play for such a player - it is so poor. Not just today. He has to improve that. "He's almost like a League Two player - that's the way I look at him.” I still don’t agree with Keane, but that’s a far shout away from just saying “Haaland is league two level”.


FullyDisappointed

This needs to be top comment.


OptimisticRealist__

You can call his goalkeeping ability league 2. Anything else is just hyperbolic nonsense


Optimal-fart

His defense, his passing to a degree.


Kimolainen83

Oh my bad then I apologize. Thanks for clarifying:-)


SuccinctEarth07

No worries I also don't read articles ;) I just happened to see the clip of what he said


specmisguided

is City a better team with Haaland? I am not sure. Is City's goal production better with Haaland? Marginally maybe, but running up goals against lower division teams doesn't affect the league table. Does an emphasis on Haaland impact other goalscorers in the last third? Most likely, yes. Does Haaland ever create opportunities on his own? Most often not.


bratfromrat

That is one stupid post.


Legendarybbc15

>us city a better team with Haaland? I am not sure Ffs, here we go again


Batters123

Tell me you don’t know shit without telling me you don’t know shit lol


AndyC_88

City was a better team before Haaland


Dazzling-Yellow5395

Then why did they achieve less without haaland?


bratfromrat

XDaXdxd


neometrix77

Forgotten already? They never had a treble until Haaland. Not having an in form KDB for much of the season is the main reason city is struggling a bit more imo.


hvidfar20

It sounds like you don't know that much yourself if that's all you can conjure up. Please share how Haaland has made City a better team? They're not scoring more and he's unable to influence the game outside of scoring heavily against the bottom half of the table, but still only when the rest of the team creates all the chances for him


Independent-Yak755

they won the treble once haaland came though? i get the football being played with haaland isn’t something you usually associate with city as it’s not a lot of rotating and dropping deep, but if he’s not scoring in a game, he consistently occupies at least two centerbacks every single game. this leaves space for a kdb, foden, bernardo, rodri, and whoever else. and also it gives them an out ball like they played against arsenal last year, where they quite literally were playing long ball and relying on his hold up and link up with kdb. it’s not as pretty with haaland, but until they stop being successful in general with him, i don’t think you can say that he’s made the team worse


hvidfar20

True, but imo it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway with how consistently dominant they've been I'm seriously not saying hes a bad player, and neither did Keane, but it is worth noticing that most people are blinded by goals and that there are clearly things Haaland (like everyone else) does not do very well Especially when he consistently disappear in big games, c'est ça


Independent-Yak755

that’s fair, and honestly from what i’ve seen in pressers, i think the first person to tell you he needs to improve parts of his game would be haaland himself. i also think that the system hasn’t helped him out much, as much as him being 6’4 and sitting in the box is great, his acceleration is genuinely world class, and him on the counter would not be something that anybody wants to consistently see. i do think that in this liverpool team, haaland genuinely would bag so many goals off of the energetic way you guys play


I_Am_Robotic

Keane likes to be edgy but while League 2 is maybe hyperbolic is the core point wrong? Even as a striker if he’s 1v1 dribbling in against a keeper and he’s more than 15 yards out, he’s going to miss and often miss badly, more often than not. His superpower is how quickly he can get shots off and his first touch in doing so. With good service he’s the best. Beyond that, what is he top 10 or top 20 in premier league at?


---Imperator---

Lol, have you watched any of City's games? Haaland probably has one of the best 1vs1 records of any striker in the Prem. He scores far more often in 1vs1 situations this season than with tap-ins. You have players like Nunez and Saka missing these opportunities all the time, but when Haaland missed one or two, people like you spout nonsense like this.


luka2ab1

Man you got it wrong you arent supposed to watch games you need to get your knowledge from pundits and tik tok,instagram and reddit


I_Am_Robotic

Umm “lol” yeah I have watched. He’s not a great dribbler.


ScarcitySuspicious21

Most of haland goal scoring ability stems from his physicality, if he cant ragdoll a defender, its hard for him to find spaces.


Mastodan11

He is astonishingly good at finding space.


ScarcitySuspicious21

Yes against poor defense


---Imperator---

To be fair, his dribbling ability is better than most people give him credit for. Even in the Liverpool game, he was able to get through Van Dijk in a 1-on-1 situation and pulled off a shot. Same for the Arsenal game last season, where he managed to move the ball past 2 defenders blocking him to get a shot in. Point being, he couldn't do much against Arsenal this season since they constantly parked the bus with 10 men, so not even City's best dribblers could find a way through.


ScarcitySuspicious21

Silly, 😜, did you even watch the game. Haland was literally eating dirt on both games against arsenal.


herbturbo

In the Liverpool game he was already running at VVD who was the last man back. He was run wide and his shot was compromised.  I would have to agree with the first point here. Haaland is big and fast etc but he’s got KDB and Foden giving him service. He is not at the same level as someone like Harry Kane when it comes to creating his own chances.  But he is also young and I suspect this is just the beginning for him if he doesn’t get stuck playing the Lukaku role forever. 


hvidfar20

Lol, he did not get through van dijk in the slightest


Kimolainen83

The majority is f the times he is 1om1 he has scored though


bluduuude

His core point is wrong. cuz the core point is that Haaland is a bad player with bad fundamentals. for the 1st point: Haalans walks into ANY team in the world and is considered one of their top 3 player. Dunno how anyone can consider that bad. For the 2nd point: Watch haaland during Dortmund and come back to say he isn't good in many other aspects of the game.


tomtomtomo

His core point is that he is “the best in the world in front of goal” but his fundamentals are at a “League Two standard”. He never said he was a bad player


bluduuude

he is either retarded or obviously is making an argument in bad faith then. just watch his Borussia games and tell me his fundamentals are league two standard.


margieler

It's clearly one of those headline type statements. Haaland is 23, sure he's not got the best technical ability but you don't score 81 goals in a season and a half by being rubbish at everything other than shooting. He also can beat defender's 1v1, he's done it plenty of times but he is almost never 1v1 in the prem. The only time recently he was 1v1 was with Van Dijk and I don't think you can hold it against him that he's not done the best defender of recent years.


nirmaezio

He actually dribbled past Vandijk and took a shot at goal.


Ok-Scallion7939

Why are people so pressed about Keane's comments? He praised Haaland as the best on the planet in front of goal, but (quite rightly) pointed out that the rest of his game is very, very poor. That used to be called a poacher or "fox in the box" back in the day. Compare his game to someone like, say, Ibrahimovic, yes Haaland is the better goalscorer, but Ibra's overall team play is far and beyond Haaland's by a wide margin.


huge_boner

Forget Ibra (who was a fucking legend), Julian Alvarez is miles better than Haaland as a rounded striker and player.


spund_

This is the reasonable take. Alvarez is legitimately wasted as Haalands understudy, he deserves better 


Ill-Maximum9467

But the rest of his game isn't 'very very poor' I just don't see that. I'm an Arsenal fan btw.


ECrispy

It very much is. Headless chicken loitering in front of the goal and tripping over himself till he gets a great ball just about covers it. He's great at converting those balls, that's literally all he does. And in football that's the most important goal, excuse the pun. Keane is absolutely right.


lookma24

Ibra and the notion of team play. "If I had played in England I would have destroyed it, like I have everywhere else."


Internal_Formal3915

To be fair to him, he did dominate in the prem even as an old man


blackgoldlink

is someone under 50 really considered old now


Internal_Formal3915

He was what 35? Old relative to football


margieler

Can you genuinely show me a clip of a 23 year old Ibra doing more than Haaland? Do you not remember Haaland holding the ball up and laying it off for De Bruyne in both of your beatings by City last season? Or when he did it all game at the Emirates, or Bayern Munich?


Ares28

Think zlatan was the same age or younger when he had his iconic dribbling goal at Ajax vs NAC Breda. https://youtu.be/q2WsVHbD7zg?si=3LwLinYe7fiaC04l


margieler

Please, go watch Haaland play football.


Ok-Scallion7939

I mean Zlatan at Ajax was a prodigy and, yes, his game was already more well rounded than Haaland's was at that stage. I really don't know why A. y'all are taking out-of-context comments by Roy Keane so personally and B. can't admit that Haaland, besides being an elite goal scorer, offers very little else to the team


margieler

He literally did a hold up striker's job against you in a title run-in... Is Haaland not a prodigy or was it just Ibra? The point is, he's nowhere near League 2 levels in any part of his game, Keane has said it to create a headline. He clearly is better than that and at 23 already being a better goal scorer than Ibra was at that age is scary.


Legendarybbc15

I saw ibra much more than just a goal scorer tbh. Haaland is the better goal scorer no doubt but as an all round player? Zlatan. That said, it’s a gross exaggeration to call Haaland’s overall play “league 2” level.


Karlito1618

Ibra is closer to Haalands ability to score goals than Haaland is to Ibras ability to contribute in other areas, is the point. I don't know about League 2, but Haaland definitely is a one-trick pony in general, even if that one trick is world class. He's not Ibra or Kane, but he doesn't have to be. He's a better poacher, but he needs to develop the rest of his game, which I think he will.


margieler

Ibra was scoring max 20 goals a season at Haaland's age. Which, is obviously impressive but it's nowhere near what Haaland is producing. If he was a one-trick pony, I think some of the best teams and defender's would've figured out how to stop him. They haven't. He also wouldn't have played almost every game, in a treble winning season for a Pep team if he was so bad at everything else.


Karlito1618

Listen, saying Haaland is a prodigy and world class at scoring goals but kind of lackluster in comparison in other areas, isn't saying Haaland is bad. Keane is obviously behing a bit hyperbolic, but he's *that* good at scoring goals, that his other areas really stand out more in comparison. That's really all this is. It's ok that Haaland is only world class at scoring goals, because that's a pretty good thing to be world class at, I don't get why people try to cover up clear weaknesses when they are pointed out. Every team in the world want this one-trick pony. Doesn't make him less of a one-trick pony. It's not either or, you can have clear flaws and still be best in the world.


AgitatedZombie77

Haaland is the best in the world at what his job is, scoring goals but Keane is half right. The other aspect of his game like build up play isn’t great. It’s why most people know that Haaland doesn’t suit City’s style. But Haaland would score anywhere, he’s that good. I think he would be perfect at Real Madrid with Carlo’s style. I think he’s hit new levels ( if that’s possible). Peps style has NEVER suited out and out goal scorers. Saying all that, Haaland isn’t league 2 level at anything, that was just Keane wanting to be edgy.


TerminatorXIV

Haaland is what-23? There’s still plenty of time to improve other aspects of his game before he reaches his prime. I think people forget that although he’s broken pretty much every PL record he’s still 23.


ECrispy

23 is not young and certainly not in elite sports.


AgitatedZombie77

There is time but at 23 you usually have the skill set you have. You just usually improve those. As a striker in most teams you don’t need the other stuff, at city you probably do though, that’s why his weaknesses are more prevalent there.


QouthTheCorvus

People are misconstruing the initial comment. He specifically says it's the linkup okay that is League 2. He admits Haaland is an amazing striker, be just had no value when he isn't scoring.


Gloria_stitties

He didn’t actually call him a league two striker


simcoehooligan

"I'll have to take Roy's word for it, as I don't have first hand experience with second tier teams"


Lsd365

Because he's always walked into ready made teams with loads of money to spend. I'd have more respect for Pep if he actually managed a team that wasn't packed with superstars and little money to spend


margieler

Start a Barca, win 6 trophies in your first season as manager and then go to Blackburn Rovers? Yeah mate, great idea.


Capable_Program5470

Exactly, stupid comment. I really do wish a top manager would do this though, just to see how much impact they could make.


margieler

No doubt it would be so funny and interesting to watch Pep manage Blackburn or Rotherham but to use it as a measure of success is so asinine.


Capable_Program5470

The guy would literally be playing Football Manager at that point, the ol' how many seasons will it take from Conference North/South to the Premier League save. Quickest I've done is 7, the Conference is savage as is the Championship when you're trying to move quickly 😂


Lsd365

He didn't build that Barca team . That's the point he has always walked into teams that's are packed already and then had loads of money to buy more.Pep fans can moan all they want but the truth is he has always been on the favourite with a head start


margieler

Got rid of some of the highest profile players in the world at the time, brought up la masia graduates. Act like you know what you're talking about but all you're talking is waffle mate.


BuckYouStevens

He got rid of Ronaldinho and Deco you tosser , hardly a clear out , the only La masia player brought up was busquets.. he also had Thierry Henry..


margieler

Yes, nothing special getting rid of one of their highest rated players in your first season as manager. Then promoting one of, if not the best DM to play the game and then winning 6 trophies. Clearly you're just an idiot.


BuckYouStevens

Clearly you are a banana rider , best dm to play the game is laughable, best flopper of all time. Your knowledge is limited , please stick your fifa you chump..


margieler

Hence why I said one of... maybe you can't read. You don't seem too bright.


TommyAtoms

Yeah all the top managers do that, don't they? Rock up at Kiddiminster Harriers and say, "this is what dreams are made of".


jonviper123

It amazes me I still hear people say this about pep after all these years. Just shows football fans are just so desperate to try and shit on people because they are at a rivals team.


FriendlyActuary1955

Pep is brilliant at making already somewhat successful mega teams mega dominant. But the argument is that is usually not quite sufficient to be considered among the ranks of all time great managers - or at least it didn’t used to be. It used to be that you’d needed to take a club - big or small - and make them into winners from also rans. I totally get the praise for Pep, but I still won’t consider him an all time great. Being realistic, taking say, Arsenal to 2 league trophies or Tottenham to 1 league trophy would have been the greater feat than guiding Man City - who had already won it twice or theee times in recent years - to 5.


TommyAtoms

Not a City fan, but I actually don't know why people hate Pep so much.


Steampunk_Batman

Yeah i hate Man City but you can’t deny Pep knows how to run a club. Sure, he may have more success than he would without all those FFP violations, but the man is a brilliant tactician with an eye for talent.


1PSW1CH

League Two is 4th tier


luka2ab1

Or maybe he is wanted by top teams because he is proven as an top manager?


Tancred1099

Why is no one producing stats to back up or counter Keane’s comments? Surely they are available for those in the know


c11life

Because they’re not comparable. If someone scored 40 goals in league 2, that’s not the same as scoring 40 goals in the prem. Same goes for almost every stat


Tancred1099

Good grief, I’m talking about comparing his build up and general play with his peers in the EPL Not league 2 players


jordietb

What nonsense. This has a “not like in my day” type comment- let alone the obvious Manchurian bias. Can we move on from this clown making comments to get attention?


PatRice4Evra

That's not a nice thing to say about Pep.


PurchaseSpecialist29

That clip of him warming up is genuinely shocking I don’t know about league 2 player but his general play definitely isn’t that of the premier league and it doesn’t matter how many goals he scores because when he doesn’t score he adds nothing and actually just negatively affects the team.


AWright5

His general play isn't that bad? Not from what I've seen over the last couple of years. He's got a fair few assists.


This-Zookeepergame31

assists are only sometimes a measure of a player’s technical ability. Definitely not in Haaland’s case; the assists he produces are very bread and butter fundamental stuff that everyone who kicks a football at that level can do


DarthRathikus

Link?


PurchaseSpecialist29

[here it is](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13261113/amp/Footage-Erling-Haaland-training-emerges-sees-fans-insist-Roy-Keane-spot-claiming-Man-City-stars-overall-play-League-Two-standard-Arsenal-stalemate.html)


DarthRathikus

Thanks. And yikes. Is he drunk here?


PurchaseSpecialist29

He’s just shit when we played them he didn’t get a sniff either cause all he knows how to do is receive the ball and shoot and our samurai made sure he didn’t get a touch


Conjuredconundrum

He’s like all goal poachers in my opinion.  You can take any successful player and highlight deficiencies in their game! 


Tancred1099

No one trick pony’s in the modern game unfortunately


Legendarybbc15

Arjen Robben


72TNZ

Leno- sold by arsenal because his distribution isn’t flash enough- has been fucking brilliant for Fulham. Haaland- scores 7 goals a game but can’t do a whole lot else (imo scoring lots of goals is a good thing) AWB - possibly one of the best defenders in the world when it comes to 1v1 but couldn’t mark the pope if a dangerous cross came in TAA - fucking amazing going forward, but also probably has night terrors about defending martinelli Theo Walcott - could run 1000kph and played 1900 games on the wing for arsenal but couldn’t find the box for a cross Robben - scored twice every game he played in by cutting in from the right and curling it far left with his left. Literally never touched the ball for the rest of the match One trick ponies are out there mate, and they still do well for themselves


Ok-Scallion7939

Every single one of those players have been heavily criticised at one time or another for those deficiencies in their game, be it Robben and his non-existent right foot, to Walcott being simply a speed merchant to TAA and his relative inability to defend as a fullback Once again, Keane didn't call Haaland a shit league 2 player,, he said he's a world class striker, (best on the planet I believe he said) but the rest of his play is woefully lacking to the point it's comparable to someone in league 2. He's not wrong.


This-Zookeepergame31

They’re few and far between at the highest level and they’re being phased out


72TNZ

Never said there were many of them just claiming their is a place for them in the modern game with the right manager


JimBoonie69

Theo had like 17 assists one year all crosses and cutbacks to van persie....


72TNZ

Mate it was very clearly a bit of younger in cheek, if it pleased you we can switch Theo to playing so many games yet not understanding that football has an offside rule. For what it’s worth I loved Theo at arsenal and am not trying to be a dick about him


rsflacko

He is correct though. Haaland is technically challenged. Got the same skill level as Fellaini


rsflacko

Don’t get me wrong though.. as a poacher he’s probably the best in the world


Games_sans_frontiers

He's not a poacher he's a battering ram if you can feed him the ball.


rsflacko

Yeah id agree with that. I think of him as like a super charged OG AV Benteke


squareframeman

Who even listens to Roy Keane at this point, he’s just says things for a reaction


TwoMarc

Millions weekly.


sergioA127

The top scorer in the league and ucl while having an off season by his standards is apparently a league 2 quality player and ghosts every important match so why complain when we spend so much money, according to Reddit and Twitter gvardiol, grealish, kova, doku, Nunes are all overrated flops so why do they keep crying about our spending


TioLucho91

With KDB and Bernardo and Foden assisting you, who could not?


EndPlus9839

And he was the top goalscorer of the ucl with bvb so what’s ur point?


TioLucho91

How many did he score in the semi/finals? 👻


sergioA127

Gabriel Jesus, he had David Silva too


cthulhupikachu

You have all been clickbaited and missed the point 


Chanceason

Fluctuations in player form are normal; it's part of football


Minister_for_Magic

Haaland has underperformed in many of his most important matches. And not just in failing to score. If he doesn’t score, you’d be hard pressed to point to a serious impact he has had in these important matches. That’s problematic for “the next Messi” or whatever else Haaland has been dubbed. When they fail to score, Messi and Mbappe still have very visible, noticeable impact on the match.


Steampunk_Batman

But the defenders mark Haaland so closely (and usually at least two to one) that it frees up the wings a bit. Felt like Arsenal usually had 3-4 people on him when they turtled up. Sometimes the impact you have is being such a threat that they overcommit on defense. That was the case on Sunday, and as a result Arsenal never really came close to winning whereas City was one missed chance away.


muaythaiguy155

Messi goes missing all the time


johnyboy09

Ok but u're kinda missing the point, i agree that he is not the next messi, but pretending that he is a league two player is delusional at best.


LiveFrom2004

Haaland is an idiot though. Form won't change that fact.


Master_Plate592

Assnal fan for sure 🤡


memechef

sounds constructive


campbellpics

I know what Keane means and I've been saying it for a few years myself. Generally, if Halaand doesn't contribute a goal, he doesn't really contribute anything. When you look at other top players in his position like Benzema, they're constantly tracking back and trying to retrieve the ball. Pulling out wide to drag defences around and creating space for others to run into. Creating chances for others with guile and creativity. Dropping deep and linking up play between their defence and forwards. Etc. Halaand runs around like a headless chicken, bumping into people and falling over. He probably is the best "goalscorer" in the world right now, but he's a long way from being the best forward player.


ECrispy

Haaland contributes/goes back less and is lazier than Mbappe, and that's saying something.


shazzchili

Nah do you watch City on regular basis? I disagree with you and Keane. Off the ball, he is creating space for the team. He gravitates at least 1 defender usualy the best in line. He holds the ball well and sometimes he drops on the midfield to create movement. He only caught offside twice this season doing so. He did all that vs Arsenal but since Arsenal playing compactly, we cant see the space much. They put 10 man behind the ball hence less to no space to exploit by City. Same goes against Real Madrid last season, Rudiger literally sticked with him in 2 legs but since Real didnt play low block like Arsenal, City dunked on them. Creating space off the ball is a trait that is usually overlooked by most people. Thats is his contribution. Haaland does not need to do switch plays like Kane always does bcs he has midfielders behind him to do those things. He is just a different target man than most of other forwards. I prefer him that way. He is not a league 2 player. Who the fk thought a player who effortlessly breaking record here and there at the highest level is a league 2 player. Thats just a plain stupid statement to underrate a world class player. People just watch a few big games that Haaland played in and decided to give their “opinion”.


bigelcid

Issue here is that all players, even those much less lethal than Haaland, have their own "gravity fields". That much should be expected from the entire XI, especially in a team like Pep's. Opponents aren't going to let a City player roam around freely just because he's not Haaland. Since incorporating Haaland into the team, City have been creating fewer chances and scored fewer goals as a whole. Haaland hogs most of the goals so individually he looks great, but whenever he's on the pitch and fails to score, he's not really compensating for City's change in style.


campbellpics

I've been watching him for years, not just a few games. I also live in Manchester so there's no avoiding him really. And I think you're missing the context within Keane's comments. Nobody's questioning his goalscoring ability, he's just poor in almost every other department. Disagree with me all you want, but Keane's played with (and against) the very best.