Manchester City are now one of the best sides in Europe. Credits to Pep Guardiola, who has managed to transform this once lowly rated club to becoming a ferocious attacking unit.
However, the revolution of this club precedes even the Spaniard. Prior to the Spanish genius entrance, the Citizens had already began their scoop for silverware. As a matter of fact, they had already claimed two Premier League titles.
The likes of Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini can take credit for the ignition of what we know today as an almost unstoppable force. However, both managers can attribute their successes to the quality of centre forwards they managed to procure at the time. The likes of Mario Ballotelli, Edin Dzeko, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and the legendary Sergio kun Aguero all set the Etihad on fire with goals.
The Argentine attacking pair of Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez were most renowned, as they played with such physical exuberance and South American finesse such that the blue side of Manchester had never seen.
Carlos Tevez made the sensational switch from cross town rivals Manchester United in a deal that was shrouded in great controversy. Nonetheless, the deal was done and the Argentine promised the fans to help the club achieve its desired heights. The Argentine did perform excellently alongside Welsh forward Craig Bellamy; their combination exhilarating and dangerous.
Sergio Aguero was signed from Atletico Madrid in the hopes that he would continue from where his compatriot stopped. The striker was even a better version as he was even more prolific than his fellow Argentine, more technical and his records in the Premier League remain unmatched till date. Unfortunately for Aguero, his legendary career had to be halted due to an irregular rhythm in his heart during his short spell at Barcelona. On the other hand, Tevez has now ventured into coaching after retiring last season.
However, the recent signing of the Norwegian enigma, Erling Haaland has drawn outright comparisons to the South American pair. Fans, pundits and critics have all expressed divergent opinions on how the Norwegian fares when compared to his predecessors. This article aims to take a closer look and offer enough analysis on the subject matter.
Proficiency in front of goal
To be quite clear, all three strikers have a strong claim to being effective in their own rights. All three played as centre forwards and delivered the goods when needed. Though, the pair of Aguero and Tevez had the ability to drop back and complement a more recognized center forward.
This is something Erling Haaland has not been seen to do. However, that is not the subject matter here, Carlos Tevez is least effective when we compare the forward to the other two. The Argentine hit 84 Premier League goals all through his time in West Ham United and both sides of Manchester in 202 games. That is a goal ratio of 0.41 per 90, inferior to his compatriot who hit 187 goals in 275 Premier League games for a ratio of 0.67 per 90.
Erling Haaland is yet to kick a Premier League ball so he cannot be compared to the former on that wavelength. However, the 22-year-old’s frightening record in the Champions League is surely worthy of trepidation. The forward has hit 23 goals in Europe’s top competition in just 19 games! With Borussia Dortmund, he managed an average of almost one goal per game, bagging 85 goals in 88 games in his time in Germany.
His time in the Austrian and German leagues were also littered with goals. The Norwegian has scored a total of 155 goals for his club sides. He literally lives and breathes goals, and this truly reflects his rank in the game as he is the second most valuable player just behind Kylian Mbappe. Though the pair of Aguero and Tevez were efficient in front of goal, the stats of Haaland suggests that he could be an upgrade on the pair at least in this trait.
Style of Play
While the South American pair of Aguero and Tevez were more aggressive in their desire to be involved in games, the Norwegian is more concerned about his positioning. Carlos Tevez was known to be a utility player during his playing days. The Argentine could play in any of the forward positions and could even drop to midfield if the need arose. However, he functioned more prominently as a centre forward and as a right winger. He could power his way through defences, make defenders commit unforced fouls, square balls to the centre and even shoot from way off.
Sergio Agüero es bastante parecido, aunque nunca se le necesitó para jugar en el centro del campo. Su capacidad para jugar junto a un delantero centro más reconocido y aún así alcanzar las dobles figuras fue enormemente subestimada.
Se ha emparejado y combinado con un par de antiguos delanteros del City y ha conseguido incluso superarles en el marcador mientras les asistía. Sergio Agüero era una amenaza para todas las defensas de la Premier League, ya que su miniatura no le impedía causar daños incalculables. Tenía la habilidad de enlazar con sus compañeros de equipo de forma experta, abrirse camino a través de las defensas, abrir espacios para sus compañeros y también marcar goles de larga distancia.
Haaland, de 22 años, prefiere beneficiarse de la creatividad de sus compañeros. En lo que va de su carrera, ha tenido el privilegio de ser el hombre de referencia en la delantera de todos sus equipos, y se ha beneficiado de jugadores como Jude Bellingham y Jadon Sancho. Aunque también puede disparar desde muy lejos y descolgarse, no lo ha hecho con demasiada frecuencia como para ponerlo en el mismo rango que los nombres anteriores. Haaland puede considerarse afortunado, ya que volverá a beneficiarse de jugadores como Kevin de Buyne, Bernardo Silva y Riyad Mahrez.
Condición física, lesiones y acondicionamiento
Sin las lesiones, Sergio Agüero podría haber superado los récords que él mismo estableció. Sus excelentes actuaciones fueron sin duda inolvidables, pero su historial de lesiones fue bastante problemático.
Aunque Tévez se lesionó menos, su disciplina y su mala condición física frenaron la trayectoria de su carrera. Durante su estancia en Inglaterra fue cliente habitual de multas y prohibiciones por su mala conducta. Su aumento de peso también fue un problema para el argentino, ya que fue considerado no apto en varias ocasiones.
Últimamente, Erling Haaland se ha convertido en un asiduo de la mesa del cirujano, pero es un perfecto modelo de fitness y acondicionamiento físico. Su dieta alimenticia es bastante ejemplar, ya que sigue el camino del icono portugués, Cristiano Ronaldo. También es un asiduo del gimnasio, por lo que en este contexto el noruego es muy superior, ya que es uno de los delanteros más en forma y rápidos del fútbol actual.
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