It’s never easy to have your standards exceeded by the new kids on the block, but Andy Cole had no grudges when Erling Haaland broke his record for Premier League goals in a season.
After scoring a staggering total of 36 goals in his first 33 games among England’s elite, the Manchester City wonder has set a new standard for strikers. Haaland, 22, still has two games to add to that total and might finish his first season at City with a triple.
When he played for Newcastle in the 1993–94 season, United icon Cole established the previous mark of 34 goals in a single season. The 51-year-old showered the youngster with praise for his accomplishments over the previous nine months, although he did add the qualification that the feat was made even simpler by the group he is a part of.
“Why should the record make me unhappy? Cole recently made an appearance on the podcast No Tippy Tappy Football hosted by William Hill and Footy Accumulators. “Records are there to be broken and in all honesty I don’t care,” Cole remarked. “Now that someone else has it, congrats to them, and let’s go on. He has, in my opinion, been very brilliant and a breath of fresh air.
You have to score goals in that Manchester City team, so I’m not shocked he’s scored so many. With just running the box, you can potentially get 20 tap-ins per season because they provide so many opportunities.
royal magpies After playing two more games (42) in the season that followed Cole’s record-breaking performance, Alan Shearer equaled Cole’s total. Haaland’s accomplishment, however, is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that Cole and Shearer also attained comparable stats while Premier League clubs were still required to play 42 games each season.
Despite his praise, Cole cautioned City’s newest superstar that goals may not come as easy starting in the following season. After his magic 34 nearly 20 years ago, the United legend failed to score more than 21 goals in any league season, so Haaland should beware of a similar fate.
In terms of a guy who can be in and around the box and finish opportunities when they present themselves, he was precisely what City needed. He executes it flawlessly. He actually doesn’t get engaged until the 18-yard box, but once he starts getting involved outside of that, it’s basically game over because he’ll have everything working in his favour!
Naturally, the upcoming season will be the most challenging because the second year in the Premier League is always the hardest. While I’m not saying he’s going to struggle to score goals because he’s playing for Manchester City, he might not get as many in the second season since a lot more teams work you out.
Given how successful he has been this season on all fronts, the son of former City player Alf-Inge could have something to say about it. Cole is undoubtedly accurate that leading the line under Pep Guardiola makes a difference, but 52 goals in 48 games in all competitions is still a generational performance.
Haaland was as productive for Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, two teams with rosters that couldn’t quite compete with City’s. The future Ballon d’Or contender will have to work hard to surpass this season’s numbers, but if anyone is up to the task, it would be him.