Match his movement, stay patient': just how do you stop Erling Haaland?

"No coach has found a way to stop Erling Haaland in his past 12 matches, the striker scoring in each and 22 times in all competitions for club and country. Pep Guardiola knows most about the Norwegian's talents and jokingly suggested a plan to keep him out: Four centre-backs. There are no straightforward answers, especially as so many have tried and failed."

"The only time we had success was when we had Craig Dawson up against him and physically man-marking him inside the box, Burchnall says. Dawson did an unbelievable job because Haaland doesn't take many touches. He's unbelievably patient as a forward because they're only ever playing against a low block. Haaland gets very few touches, so his patience and his focus to make movements inside the box is just unbelievable. You have to have someone that can match that inside the box."

Erling Haaland has scored in each of his past 12 matches, totaling 22 goals across club and country. Opponents struggle because Haaland's touches are infrequent but decisive, and Manchester City's creative supply makes cutting him off difficult. Haaland excels inside the penalty area through anticipatory movement and precise positioning, often converting well-timed crosses. Wolves' use of Craig Dawson to physically man-mark Haaland inside the box limited him to one clear chance in a September 2023 victory, illustrating that tight, physical marking can disrupt him. Haaland's patience, focus and ability to predict where the ball will land make defending against him exceptionally challenging.

Read at www.theguardian.com