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“Flat Track Bully”- Erling Haaland Mocked For ‘Battering Small Teams’ After Firing Blank in Manchester City’s Loss vs Arsenal

Published Oct 10, 2023 | 11:45 AM EDT

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Opinions can be as volatile as a last-minute penalty shootout. Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s star striker, finds himself under the spotlight yet again. In the recent closely contested Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, the Gunners secured a slim 1-0 victory with a late goal from Gabriel Martinelli. City’s current form has raised significant questions about Haaland’s performance, particularly in big matches. Adding to that, a famous British actor has now questioned the goalscoring abilities of the Norwegian too.

This criticism came swiftly after City’s defeat to Arsenal, where Haaland failed to make any impact in the game. Let’s delve deeper and learn what the famous actor has to offer for the affair.

Erling Haaland struggle in big matches, claims British actor

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Recent discussions on a popular talkSport podcast have added fuel to the fire surrounding Erling Haaland’s performance. On the podcast, Ade Oladipo and Roy Jennings engaged in a spirited conversation about Haaland’s goal-scoring record. Jennings, in particular, did not hold back, labeling Haaland as a “flat-track bully.”

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Jennings pointed out that despite Haaland’s numerous goals, it’s the context and importance of his goals that has raised questions. He argued that Haaland’s prolific scoring at Manchester City came when the team was already winning trophies and beating teams. “Anybody would have scored goals for that Man City,” Jennings said. However, the crux of Rory Jennings’ argument lies in the performance from Erling Haaland in big matches. He claimed that Haaland fails to perform against big teams, by saying, “It’s all very well being a flat-track bully and battering the smaller teams.”

Although he noted that Haaland had an impressive run of scoring eight goals in eight games this year, he questioned whether the Norwegian delivered at crucial encounters. Jennings said, “Did he score against Arsenal, where they really needed him to?” He then listed out the teams that Haaland has scored against, “He scored three against Fulham, he scored one against Sheffield United, he scored one against West Ham he scored one against Forest, he scored one against Burnley,” Jennings added.

Haaland’s record against big teams in the Premier League

Erling Haaland is currently sitting at the top of the leaderboard in the Premier League goal-scoring charts. With 8 goals in 8 matches, he has surely started the season strong. But, despite a strong start to the season, he has been visibly frustrated in front of the goal for the past few games, which in turn saw Manchester City shaken. As Arsenal ran away with the crucial three points after their victory, it has come to light that Erling Haaland is yet to open his account at away games against the big six in the PL.

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According to reports, the Norwegian has a grand total of zero goals and zero assists to his name away from home, while he was limited to five touches and under in the opposition box against United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. The recent Premier League clash between Manchester City and Arsenal has provided a stark illustration of this narrative.

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As the pressure mounts on Erling Haaland to prove his worth in pivotal matches, the “flat track bully” label continues to gain traction. Manchester City and their fans will be hoping that their star striker can rise to the occasion when it matters most, and silence his doubters.

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Written by:

Sahil Sharma

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Sahil Sharma is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports. He's been a fan since childhood, but his love for the sport truly took off when Real Madrid won their record 10th UEFA Champions League title in 2014. That famous La Decima triumph turned him into a hardcore Madridista.
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