HATS OFF T O HAALAND
NEAR MISS A MINOR ISSUE FOR MORRIS KDB awestruck as electric Erling makes it easy as one, two, three
CARDIFF 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 2 Championship
AIDAN MORRIS is still waiting for his first Middlesbrough goal – but is taking Saturday’s near miss as a positive sign.
The USA midfielder (above) admitted it would be pushing it to claim Boro’s late second when his shot was deflected in off Cardiff captain Aaron Ramsey.
But after making a £3.2m move from MLS side Columbus Crew this summer, the 22-year-old believes it won’t be long before he opens his account.
Asked about Ramsey’s own goal, Morris said: “I figured it was going a little bit off target but maybe the wind was going to push it back!
“But it means one’s coming.” Boro went ahead early in the second half through a header from Matt Clarke (below) and Morris is happy the win means Michael Carrick’s side have made a positive start.
“I really do like the place we’re in,” he added. “We have felt everything already in the few games we’ve had – losses away, draws we should have won, wins we’ve managed really well.
“And that’s really important at the start of the season, feeling everything, fixing things up, little details we’ve got to get better at.
“Today put it all on display, everything we have learned so far.”
Cardiff are rock bottom of the table going into the season’s first break with a solitary point from the opening four games.
Boss Erol Bulut said: “We have to analyse these four games and speak about details.
“There will be changes after the international break.
Everybody has to accept it. We will look at the statistics, analyse it, and there will be changes.”
PEP STARTLED BY CHARLIE GORDON
PEP GUARDIOLA has been caught off guard by Manchester City’s scintillating start to the season.
Another hat-trick from Erling Haaland secured a victory at West Ham on Saturday, sending City into the international break with nine points from a possible nine.
And Guardiola (above) admits he was not expecting the hunger he has seen from his players since the new campaign kicked off.
The City boss said: “I am surprised that after winning the title four years in a row, another FA Cup final, a good Champions League run… you’d think people would relax, but it’s completely the opposite.
“I see them training every day, how focused they are, how they compete with each other. We could be complacent but it’s completely the opposite.”
Arsenal are set to push for the title again after strengthening Mikel Arteta’s squad over the summer. But Guardiola knows that experience is on City’s side.
“Of course, after nine years together, we know what we have to do,” he added.
“Erling tracking back, we know we have to do that, I don’t need to tell them. I will push them to continue in that way because when they continue, they are happier.”
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BY
ERLING HAALAND is collecting match balls at a remarkable rate.
The Manchester City striker inspired the champions with his second hattrick in as many games.
City’s flawless start to the Premier League season continued and capitalised on Arsenal slipping up against Brighton.
And Haaland was as ruthless as he has ever been, following up his treble at home to Ipswich with his eighth hat-trick since joining the English top flight two years ago.
The Norwegian enjoyed a relaxing summer while many of his rivals ran themselves into the ground at tournaments.
And Kevin De Bruyne (below right), who has been the assisting architect on many a Haaland goal in blue, thinks he now ranks with the best of recent years at what he does with such clinical precision.
“In the box, I would say yes (he is the best),” said the Belgian.
“Maybe all-round it would be Kun (Sergio Aguero) but it depends on what you’re talking about.
“Erling is the most prolific striker I’ve played with. I’ve played with really good strikers, like Kun, (Samuel) Eto’o, Fernando Torres. It’s hard to compare but the stats speak for themselves.
“He has started the season on fire – and let’s hope he maintains it.”
Those stats include the fact that he is scoring at just over a goal per game in the Premier League – 70 in 69 top-flight outings.
And this season, he is out of the gate on record pace. That summer break has made Haaland an even more terrifying prospect, with the 24-year-old sitting on seven goals after only three league games.
However you view the debate on who is the best, the hat-trick field is Haaland’s exclusive domain, a fact to which the numbers most certainly attest.
Since signing for City, he has averaged one in every nine league games. To give that context, take the aforementioned City scoring legend Aguero.
He had 12 in 275 games, or one every 23 games. The league’s all-time leading scorer, Alan Shearer, notched 11 in 441 games, one every 40 games, an average shared with Harry Kane, who had the same number of hat-tricks as Haaland but in 320 games.
Thierry Henry and Michael Owen also finished their Premier League careers on eight hat-tricks but took 258 and 326 games respectively to get to where Haaland is in 69.
Haaland’s masterclass in finishing produced two fabulous examples in the first half hour – one touch to set for a cool strike for the opener (inset top left), a magnificent stinging whip for the second (inset bottom left).
A Ruben Dias own goal had briefly put West Ham level but any thoughts of a second comeback were extinguished after the break when Haaland showed poise in a one-on-one to dink the ball over Lukasz Fabianski for another match ball to pack in his bag for the journey home.
Manager Pep Guardiola was close to speechless when asked to sum up Haaland’s ability in front of goal, saying that all City have to do is keep offering him opportunities and he does the rest.
But in a chilling warning to the rest of the league, his response to being asked about a 70-yard run Haaland made to chase back in defence tells you all you need to know about the serial winners.
“This is the team,” said Guardiola. “Of course, I am happy when they do it, but this is the team.
“When they have to go backwards, nobody asks, ‘Who has to run?’. Who has to run? Everyone.
“When team-mates see Erling doing that, the others say, ‘Okay, this is what you have to do’. And that is fantastic.”
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Areola 5 (Fabianski 46, 6); Wan-bissaka 7, Kilman 7, Mavropanos 6, Palmieri 6 (Coufal 71); Alvarez 6 (Soucek 77), Rodriguez 6; Bowen 7 (Summerville 85), Paqueta 5, Kudus 8; Antonio 6 (Fullkrug 71). MANCHESTER CITY (3-2-4-1): Ederson 7; Akanji 6, Dias 5, Gvardiol 6 (Walker 87); Lewis 7, Kovacic 7; Grealish 8 (Nunes 72), Silva 7, De Bruyne 7 (Ake 87), Doku 6 (Gundogan 68, 6); Haaland 9.