Manchester City’s Norwegian star Erling Haaland has started the new season in brilliant form once again. The forward has scored 9 goals in the first 7 Premier League matches, reclaiming his position at the top of the scoring chart.
Interestingly, all of Haaland’s goals this season have come without penalties — making his achievement even more impressive.
However, this isn’t his best-ever start. For instance, in the 2022/23 season he scored 11 goals in 7 games, and 10 goals last season. Still, his current form shows a new level of efficiency.
Experts believe Haaland’s strong start can be explained by two main factors:
- first — the quantity and quality of chances he creates,
- second — the slow start from his main rivals like Salah, Son, and Isak.
Statistical analysis shows that Haaland has taken 29 shots this season — the highest in the league. More importantly, the quality of these shots is exceptional: his average xG is 0.27, meaning that historically 27% of such shots result in goals. This is far higher than last year’s 0.17.
This means Haaland not only shoots often, but also from excellent positions. Even at his usual finishing level, he would still have twice as many goals as his closest competitors.
Across Europe’s “Golden Boot” race, the competition is tighter. Bayern’s Harry Kane leads with 11 goals, followed by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé with 9.
Yet, with the highest non-penalty xG rate, Haaland remains the most reliable favorite for the award.
Analysts believe that if injuries don’t interfere, the Norwegian striker is on course to become the Premier League’s top scorer once again.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
