After last season's madness, Haaland's stats have tended to be mediocre this season. Of course, that's a bit harsh, given that Haaland still holds the top spot in the Premier League's scorer charts, and his 20 goals is not bad. But compared to last season's 36 goals, it's obviously a lot worse. Perhaps, after a season, various teams have begun to study ways to deal with Haaland, so the mysterious aura on the demon is slowly fading.
However, compared with the data, the bigger change in Haaland is that the possibilities and diversity in him are becoming smaller. Haaland, who is 194cm tall, is by no means a stumbling center forward in the conventional sense, his foot skills are excellent, and he is also fast, and his ability to hold the ball and make the ball are on the line. This season, though, Haaland seems to be feeling more and more like a pie-eating striker. Of course, for a scorer, being able to score the ball is the number one, the only priority, and you don't need those bells and whistles. So, what is the reason for this?
Perhaps, the answer is hidden in De Bruyne's evaluation of Messi and Ronaldo.
For any top player, how to evaluate Mero is a topic that cannot be avoided. Moreover, this topic is a great test of emotional intelligence. Generally speaking, Melo's teammates, or close people, and people who have intersections, will give direct answers, Ronaldo's teammates, dare to say that Messi is better than him? And Messi's teammates are naturally oriented towards Messi. However, for players who have nothing to do with Messi, the problem is delicate. And the answer given by Tintin is very smart, not only to give it directly, but also to save face for the other side, and more importantly, this is what Tintin really thinks.
That's what De Bruyne said - Mero two, better Messi, but if I had to choose one person to be a teammate, I would choose Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although this answer pointed to Messi, it did not offend Ronaldo, which is a very advanced one among the samples that answered similar questions. And this answer hides a key information point, that is, De Bruyne believes that Ronaldo is more compatible with him.
Why, of course, because De Bruyne is a passer, he needs a finisher for his passes. And Messi himself has an organizational function, which more or less overlaps with De Bruyne. If Cristiano Ronaldo is a striker who eats cakes, De Bruyne is a top chef. What a five-star chef wants to see most is, of course, someone to cook a table of dishes for him and eat them cleanly. Therefore, eating a pie-type striker is by no means derogatory, but a reflection of efficiency. To be honest, it's very, very difficult to be able to eat all the bread one by one without wasting a single one.
Specific to Haaland, after coming to Manchester City, he is surrounded by five-star chefs and top passers, and he doesn't have to worry about these things at all, as long as he eats cakes with peace of mind, so he has more and more of a sense of seeing a cake-eating striker. What Haaland needs to do at Manchester City is actually very pure, which is different than when he was at Borussia Dortmund. In fact, Ronaldo is the same in Real Madrid, with Modric by his side, and the person who can't be named in the early days, this is a master of passing, and he doesn't need to turn on other functions at all. Even Benzema sacrificed his finishing ability to cover for him. The rice is already on the table, just eat it directly, and you don't have to cook it yourself.
Again, eating cake in the football world is by no means derogatory. If you can eat thirty or forty cakes in a season, no one will say that you are a rice bucket, only that you are a big stomach and a god of food. And isn't the god of food in football the Golden Boot?