Van der Vaart's Reaction to Haaland's Performance at "Manchester City"

Former "Tottenham" star Rafael van der Vaart criticized Erling Haaland's performance at "Manchester City", stating his skills are insufficient.

Rafael van der Vaart, formerly a star at "Tottenham", has criticized Erling Haaland by stating the "Manchester City" forward is "not good enough." Since his £51m transfer in 2022, Haaland has cemented himself as one of the top strikers in the world, scoring 107 goals in his 117 appearances across all competitions. This season, the 24-year-old has scored 17 goals in his 19 appearances but has only found the net once in his last eight Premier League matches.

Haaland's ongoing dip in form has come at a bad time for "Manchester City" as Pep Guardiola's side are winless in seven matches ahead of their home game against "Nottingham Forest." The team currently sits 16th in the Premier League form table. Van der Vaart believes Haaland is just a "normal player" and comments that Ilkay Gundogan "was not what they needed during the summer."

"Take away his pace, I see Erling Haaland as a normal player," said van der Vaart. "Technique-wise, he's not good enough; he can get away with it when "City" is in form but not when they are struggling. I think he's missing something that top, top strikers have. I may get criticized for saying this, but I don't view him on the same level as the top strikers I played with, like Ruud van Nistelrooy."

""Manchester City" needs Erling Haaland at the moment, but where is he? That's why he's not among that select few world-class strikers. I think the intensity "Man City" has shown under Pep Guardiola for so many seasons is over. They look very tired to me. You can see it on their faces, like Kevin De Bruyne, for example—they're not fresh anymore. They need a rebuild. I'm not someone who says they need to get rid of Pep, not at all. I believe in his methods, but they need to get their transfers right—Ilkay Gundogan was not what they needed in the summer."

Meanwhile, van der Vaart praised "Liverpool" forward Mohamed Salah, whom he considers the best player in the world at the moment. "Yes, I think Salah is the best," van der Vaart added. "I'm a big fan of Kylian Mbappe, but he's not showing it right now. There's Vinicius Jr too, but I think Salah has been consistent over many years. You can see he's really at home at "Liverpool" and should stay. The same with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk—they should also remain there. "Liverpool" is a huge club doing well at the moment, and I see only "Real Madrid" as a club you never say no to."