Jaap Stam, a Manchester United veteran, has revealed how he would defend against Manchester City attacker Erling Haaland. The 22-year-old joined City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer and has already scored 11 Premier League goals, including two hat-tricks.
He’s also scored three goals in two Champions League games, keeping City unblemished in all competitions this season. Haaland will have his greatest test in English football yet this weekend when City host arch rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.
What has Jaap Stam said about Haaland?
The Norwegian international will face Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez for Manchester United, who are on a four-match winning streak in the Premier League.
Stam, who won three league titles in three years at Old Trafford and is regarded as one of the finest defenders of his time, has detailed his plans for Sunday afternoon. The former Netherlands international spoke exclusively to SPORTbible on behalf of bet365.
Stam said, “You need to be very aggressive. When the opposition has the ball, you need to go and play in City’s half, you need to make sure someone is always very tight on Haaland and trying to take him out of the game, especially when you lose the ball, he can’t be allowed to get hold of it”.
“You need cover too, otherwise if you try and risk it to play against him one versus one, with a lot of space in your back, nine out of ten times, it’s going to be a very difficult situation. So you need to be very aggressive against him”.
He further added, “Teams are changing how they set up defensively when he’s playing because of his threat, people are saying we need to put a midfield player in front of him as well, to give them more time on the ball. But you need to make choices now as an opposition to defend against him”.
“Speaking personally, sometimes when you play higher up the pitch, one needs to be aggressive on him and the other needs to cover you”.
Haaland’s season
It’s a threat City didn’t have in the previous season, when Kevin De Bruyne led the team with 15 goals. Haaland is on course to break that record, and Stam believes opponents are developing new game plans to counter Haaland.
In the winter, Haaland will take a month off to replenish his batteries. Norway did not qualify for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar, therefore he will remain at City’s training complex with a few teammates.
Andrew Cole, Alan Shearer, and Mohamed Salah now hold the record for most Premier League goals in a season with 34. If Haaland continues to score at his present rate, which is doubtful, he will have scored 63 goals by the conclusion of 22/23.
