Haaland's ability to avoid offside became a real phenomenon

An unexpected fact for EPL fans: Erling Haaland unexpectedly went offside in an away game for the first time in 28 months. At first glance, it seems like a simple statistic, but the Norwegian striker has been working on a peculiar habit since childhood - not falling into the offside line even when playing close to it. And it's clear that this skill is clearly yielding results in his game.

An astonishing picture emerged when investigating how often the strongest strikers in the national leagues over the past nine seasons were "out of play":

- Ronaldo - offside every 68 minutes

- Mbappe - 83

- Lukaku - 117

- Lewandowski - 118

- Kane - 135

- Salakh - 153

- Isak - 153

- Vinicius - 156

- Lautaro - 164

- Dyokeresh - 208

- Martinelli - 277

- Messi - 278

- Holand - 316

- Julian Alvarez - 336

Some results were expected, while others were very surprising. For example, for Messi, this indicator is completely natural: he starts from deeper, not in the attacking line, so the likelihood of being offside is low.

However, the results of players like Haaland and Alvarez deserve special recognition. Because the main part of their game - opening behind the defenders, making dozens of decisions per second on that very delicate line, and everything depends on the action that is considered fateful.

In modern times, the average for classical forwards of this category is at least one offside per game. Therefore, when Mbappe, Lukaku, or Lewandowski are often offside - it doesn't mean they're bad strikers, but rather their playing style demands it.

But Haaland's performance - an average of one offside per three and a half games - is a statistic worthy of special praise. Here, his amazing sense of timing, his ability to make every discovery not in the heart, but with precise calculation, and sometimes even a feeling close to irrationality, is manifested.

In short, Haaland is a forward who has elevated the ability to avoid offside to the level of art. That is why he is considered a phenomenon in modern football not only for his goals, but also for his high intellectual play.

Shuhrat Razzakov

Editor of «ZAMIN.UZ»