Words don’t properly do Erling Haaland’s current run of form justice. The numbers behind his goal-scoring just about put his brilliance into perspective. After the latest haul against Israel in World Cup qualifying, it’s now 10 goal-scoring games in a row for club and country, with Haaland’s overall tally sitting at 21 for the campaign.
A truly phenomenal start to the season, and one which has put Norway on the brink of World Cup qualification. Haaland wasn’t even born the last time the Scandinavian outfit qualified for a major tournament, but barring disaster in their final two qualification matches, Norway will be heading to North America next summer.
Even if the qualification isn’t secured automatically, Norway would still stand a great chance of making it through via the play-offs – something which would ultimately present an entirely new problem for both Haaland and his club, Manchester City. It’s no surprise that Haaland tends to start seasons strongly, given he’s often granted the luxury of a summer off from action, while most of his Premier League and Champions League counterparts are competing in international tournaments.
It means Haaland has been ever-present for City’s full pre-season programmes in the summers following international tournaments, as well as being available for the opening matches of the season. Typically speaking, those who reach the knockout stages of international tournaments are granted a rest period that eats into pre-season and often delays their return to action thereafter.
Haaland and City have never had to deal with that, given Norway’s last major tournament appearance came 25 years ago. That’s likely to change heading into next season, as Norway will almost certainly be competing in their first World Cup since 1998. It could present a concern, as Haaland’s injury record isn’t the best, with both club and country taking steps to limit his minutes where possible.
How much this impacts Haaland isn’t yet known, but it certainly shifts the dynamic from what he’s been used to in the past. At the very least, it’s likely to mean he gets less time off between the end of the current campaign and the start of next season as a result of the summer tournament.
Not that he’s likely to worry about it at all, given the hot streak the formidable striker currently finds himself in the middle of. Haaland and City will be keen to see that continue when the international break comes to an end, with Everton the visitors to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Matches against Villarreal and Aston Villa follow after that.