Haaland's Early Season Phenomenon: Tottenham Beware

MANCHESTER, FRIDAY — Amid the ups and downs of striker Erling Haaland's performance during three seasons with Manchester City, one thing is certain. He always "explodes" at the beginning of each season. Signs of a similar phenomenon have already been observed in the opening match of the new Premier League season.

Haaland kicked off his season with a brace in City's 4-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 2022-23 and 2023-24 Premier League Golden Boot winner rediscovered his sharpness after a dip in form last season.

Tottenham Hotspur should be cautious. They will visit to face Haaland and his teammates at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Saturday (23/8/2025) at 18:30 WIB. “(Haaland) is better than before. In terms of rhythm and speed, it feels similar to his first season,” said City Manager Pep Guardiola.

In his first season, 2022-2023, Haaland set a new record as the top scorer in a single season in the era of the Premier League (36 goals). The Norwegian national football team player was able to produce a goal on average every 77 minutes. However, the number of goals decreased in the second season (27) and the third season (22).

Regardless of the return of Haaland's best version, there is something more concerning for Tottenham, which is the phenomenon of the striker who always "goes crazy" at the beginning of each season. Haaland's average productivity with City in the first five league matches nearly reaches nine goals.

In his worst season, last season, Haaland was even able to score ten goals in the first five matches. This number is higher compared to the 2022-2023 season (9 goals) and the 2023-2024 season (7 goals). Meanwhile, Haaland only scored 12 goals from 26 league matches after a brilliant start last season.

The potential emergence of the early Haaland phenomenon is supported by the presence of a new midfielder at City, namely Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutch national team player appears to be able to become the best partner for Haaland and fill the void left by Kevin De Bruyne.

Against City, Tottenham is almost certain to employ a pragmatic approach once again. They will defend with a low defensive block and then aim for counterattacks.

Reijnders has already demonstrated his quality in the opening match. He was involved in the buildup of two of Haaland's goals. Interestingly, he played with a mindset as the striker's provider. "Haaland is always a target that can be reached. When the ball is at his feet, I know he will score," said Reijnders.

Haaland's prowess, along with Reijnders' support, will be crucial for City in their first home match of the season. They are set to face one of the most challenging teams in the last five years. The last time they hosted Tottenham, in November 2024, they suffered a 0-4 defeat.

Moreover, Tottenham arrives with a new manager, Thomas Frank. Guardiola has never had an easy match when facing Frank. In their last six encounters, when Frank was still at Brentford, Guardiola has only managed to win three times.

The constraints of Guardola are not without reason. Frank is a tactician who is flexible in his tactical approach. He can play super-defensively with a 5-3-2 formation when facing Paris Saint-Germain, and then adopt an open style with a 4-3-3 formation when hosting Burnley the following week. The matches are only three days apart.

All of that depends on the characteristics of the opponent. When facing a big team, Frank does not hesitate to adopt a total defensive strategy. Tottenham nearly punished PSG with only 25.7 percent possession. They were unfortunate to concede two goals at the end of the match, resulting in the winner being determined by a penalty shootout.

Against City, Tottenham is almost certain to adopt a pragmatic approach once again. They will defend with a low defensive block and then aim for counterattacks. City must be cautious of the visiting team's attacking transitions, especially with the opposing striker duo of Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus.

Richarlison scored a brace in last week's match against Burnley. Both goals were scored thanks to assists from Kudus. Kudus's arrival as a facilitator has given Richarlison new hope, having seen limited playing time under previous manager Arne Postecoglou.

According to Frank, the organization of the World Cup next year could motivate many players, one of whom is Richarlison, who aspires to be a key player for Brazil. "Of course, we have not yet seen his contributions over a longer period, but the early signs from him are already promising," he stated.

The biggest problem for City last season was defense. They were vulnerable in facing the rapid transitions of opponents. This issue surfaced in the first 30 minutes against Wolves, but was resolved with two consecutive goals. City should be cautious, as Tottenham is more dangerous than Wolves.

Meanwhile, Tottenham will visit with a sense of anger from the events earlier in the week. They have just lost the chance to acquire the England national team player, Eberechi Eze, from Crystal Palace. Eze was "snatched" by their neighboring team and eternal rival, Arsenal. (AP/REUTERS)