Newcastle United 2-2 Chelsea (20/12/25) | post-match from pg. 45

[r0cafella]

4 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Not even in the same league for me, especially Suarez, who I think with hindsight possibly reached the high watermark of any individual player in the Premier League. 

 

 

 

Obviously Suarez and to an even larger extent bale could create something for themselves however Haaland is freak of nature absolute cheat code. 

[Kid Icarus]

Just now, r0cafella said:

Obviously Suarez and to an even larger extent bale could create something for themselves however Haaland is freak of nature absolute cheat code. 

I get the argument like, he's a fantastic all-round striker providing he gets service.

[Andy]

Scored almost a goal a game for club and country since 2019. That's insane tbh, but I do agree he still doesn't have that "magic" of a Suarez, De Bruyne, or Henry. 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Andy said:

Scored almost a goal a game for club and country since 2019. That's insane tbh, but I do agree he still doesn't have that "magic" of a Suarez, De Bruyne, or Henry. 

His output alone but him on that level imo  that being said he obviously lacks the finesse of those other luminaries. That being said none of those mentioned could bully a defense like he can. 

[Kid Icarus]

25 minutes ago, Andy said:

Scored almost a goal a game for club and country since 2019. That's insane tbh, but I do agree he still doesn't have that "magic" of a Suarez, De Bruyne, or Henry. 

Yeah that last part is exactly it. If you cut off the supply you can stop Haaland. With those others they'd just go and get the ball and make it happen themselves with something you can't really mitigate for, especially Suarez.

[Lush Vlad]

Henry is the best Prem player of all time IMO.  Suarez and De Bruyne probably close out the top 3.  

 

Haaland's numbers are just outrageous though.  It is a cliche with him.  But the whole 'he looks like he is built in a lab' and the Ivan Drago comparisons are spot on.  He's an absolute monster and just relentless with getting into those scoring positions. 

[The Butcher]

1 hour ago, Kid Icarus said:

Yeah that last part is exactly it. If you cut off the supply you can stop Haaland. With those others they'd just go and get the ball and make it happen themselves with something you can't really mitigate for, especially Suarez.

A goal a game on average during his entire career for club and country so far suggests it's nigh on impossible to stop him.

 

 

[Kid Icarus]

13 minutes ago, The Butcher said:

A goal a game on average during his entire career for club and country so far suggests it's nigh on impossible to stop him.

 

He's very good at what he does, it's not really a criticism of him to say he relies on service and is solely a goalscorer.

 

Anyone with him in their FPL team knows that his goalscoring dropped off a bit when De Bruyne dropped off and that he often doesn't score for a couple but will then bag a brace, hattrick or more in one match. In those matches where he or the service to him is nullified he doesn't have that ability to go and do something insane like those other players did.

[1964]

If Dermot Gallagher is saying its a pen, then it must be blatantly obvious.  Have the useless fuckers at PGMOL said owt yet?

[Collage]

4 hours ago, Andy said:

Scored almost a goal a game for club and country since 2019. That's insane tbh, but I do agree he still doesn't have that "magic" of a Suarez, De Bruyne, or Henry. 

He's too boring. A robot.

[ponsaelius]

The fact that Haaland probably is the best player in the PL and many would argue the world says a lot about the way football has gone in the last 10 years or so.

 

The level is higher than ever, but many of the top players leave me completely cold, and he epitomises that.

[madras]

24 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

The fact that Haaland probably is the best player in the PL and many would argue the world says a lot about the way football has gone in the last 10 years or so.

 

The level is higher than ever, but many of the top players leave me completely cold, and he epitomises that.

Hes the best striker but also one of the least adaptable players in the league.

[Hovagod]

57 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

The fact that Haaland probably is the best player in the PL and many would argue the world says a lot about the way football has gone in the last 10 years or so.

 

The level is higher than ever, but many of the top players leave me completely cold, and he epitomises that.

Excellent point. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I mean, did Shearer leave us completely cold? I really don’t get how smashing loads of goals in can be boring

[joeyt]

Prefer watching Kane to Haaland

 

Amazing player which I think we'll appreciate more when he retires

[Kid Icarus]

36 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I mean, did Shearer leave us completely cold? I really don’t get how smashing loads of goals in can be boring

Shearer was an exciting playing who had it in his locker to score absolute worldies from outside the area. Haaland is much more like Shearer without those, which I'd find boring tbh. Strikers can be good and boring. Inzanghi, Klose etc.

[Kid Icarus]

45 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Prefer watching Kane to Haaland

 

Amazing player which I think we'll appreciate more when he retires

Agreed. Kane has been an incredible player like, not just in terms of goalscoring either. It's still sort of hard to accept that he didn't turn out to be a donkey, then a one season wonder, but somehow ended up being one of the best strikers we've ever seen. 

[Jonas]

3 hours ago, ponsaelius said:

The fact that Haaland probably is the best player in the PL and many would argue the world says a lot about the way football has gone in the last 10 years or so.

 

The level is higher than ever, but many of the top players leave me completely cold, and he epitomises that.

The Don Bradman theory. The worse players/teams have got better and the better teams/players worse.  Except in regards to international football with far more teams now and all of them weaker than they were and many basically cannon fodder where once it was just Malta and Luxembourg.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2025 by Jonas

[Conjo]

3 hours ago, madras said:

Hes the best striker but also one of the least adaptable players in the league.

 

The style Man City plays is arguably the least suited for Haaland. Luckily for him they have so much quality throughout he gets chances regardless.

 

Imagine him in instead of Wood in the Forest side last season f.ex. They would have been a title contenders.

[Sibierski]

Haaland was a much more fun player at Dortmund, but then he was picking up more injuries. So it’s probably fair at Man City he’s asked to do less deep runs / running with the ball etc. with his body more protected, and so Man City near enough have him available for every game going as a result. 
 

Will mean he’s seen as more robotic, but suppose that’s the trade off.

[Holloway]

Is that cushioned header by Pedro for their equaliser getting enough praise do you think ? I know it was a slip by Malla but that was incredible control from a clump upfield 

[Yorkie]

6 minutes ago, Holloway said:

Is that cushioned header by Pedro for their equaliser getting enough praise do you think ? I know it was a slip by Malla but that was incredible control from a clump upfield 

 

Thought it was absolutely exceptional CF play. Not sure about the goalkeeping on our part but no real beef with Thiaw, sometimes you've just got to hold your hands up.

 

I'm happy with who we got but do wish we'd managed to get Pedro; at one point I was picturing him and Isak as our pair and was thinking we had a shot at the title. Ah well. 

[Lush Vlad]

14 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Thought it was absolutely exceptional CF play. Not sure about the goalkeeping on our part but no real beef with Thiaw, sometimes you've just got to hold your hands up.

 

I'm happy with who we got but do wish we'd managed to get Pedro; at one point I was picturing him and Isak as our pair and was thinking we had a shot at the title. Ah well. 

Thiaw was far too aggressive there and left himself exposed with no cover behind him. 

 

It’s hard to be too critical. As it is a massive part of how he plays and it is one of the reasons he has been so good for us. Howe has his CB’s going man for man across almost the whole pitch at times, too. So it’s an instruction and you’re going to get rolled now and then. I think Thiaw has two yellows for rash tackles after getting skinned when touch tight, for example. 
 

It was brilliant play from Joao Pedro. But it’s still poor and naive defending from Thiaw in that situation IMO. He shouldn’t be going in so tight with nobody behind him. Especially when he knows Ramsdale is always glued to a spot somewhere near his goal and won’t be bailing him out sweeping up or with a save. Every other shot on target is a goal with him. 

[Holloway]

Thiaw slightly lost his footing in the crucial moment I think,otherwise Pedro wouldn't have skated away from him imo. But as soon as I saw that from Pedro I was holding my hands up, he rubber necked it

[Rod]

8 hours ago, Lush Vlad said:

Thiaw was far too aggressive there and left himself exposed with no cover behind him. 

 

It’s hard to be too critical. As it is a massive part of how he plays and it is one of the reasons he has been so good for us. Howe has his CB’s going man for man across almost the whole pitch at times, too. So it’s an instruction and you’re going to get rolled now and then. I think Thiaw has two yellows for rash tackles after getting skinned when touch tight, for example. 
 

It was brilliant play from Joao Pedro. But it’s still poor and naive defending from Thiaw in that situation IMO. He shouldn’t be going in so tight with nobody behind him. Especially when he knows Ramsdale is always glued to a spot somewhere near his goal and won’t be bailing him out sweeping up or with a save. Every other shot on target is a goal with him. 

Yes, poor defending by Thiaw.