Five games, five defeats: Erling Haaland’s record against FC Bayern is frustrating and alarming at the same time. If BVB misses out this season, it will be difficult for the club to keep their ambitious goalscorer.
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If Erling Haaland weren’t a footballer, he could also make a name for himself as a parkour runner. At least the Borussia Dortmund striker made an extremely light-footed and agile impression when he jumped over three advertising boards every second after the Supercup to present his jersey to a fan.
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The crowd cheered him for this action and agreed to Erling-Haaland-speaking. But that no longer interested him, he marched straight to the cabin wing. He was too annoyed for that to have lost the fifth meeting with FC Bayern.
It wasn’t because of him. Certainly: Haaland had better days in his still young career, but if something went forward in the Dortmund game, it was through him.
The Norwegian tied up balls and distributed them, also came to some deals. However, he was left behind against Manuel Neuer as well as Dayot Upamecano and Niklas Süle, two very strong permanent guards in Munich’s central defense, who met him with a lot of consistency and physicality.
BVB: Haaland lost almost all of the duels against Upamecano
Upamecano alone asserted himself in nine out of twelve direct duels with him. A frustrating result for the ambitious Haaland, who was gesticulating wildly, kicking the ground or shaking his head when he or his teammates failed.
After the devastating mistake by Manuel Akanji, which led to the final score of 1: 3, he only looked down in horror. As so often, Bayern were not invulnerable, but they were more mature than BVB in the decisive actions.
You can still get over it. The Supercup is the least important of all titles, there are still the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. Haaland’s future depends above all on how BVB performs in these competitions. Coach Marco Rose made it clear in Sport Bild: “Just because the public is constantly talking about leaving BVB next summer doesn’t necessarily mean that.”
Haaland “wants the whole world – probably”
However, regardless of the fact that Haaland’s contract with the Black and Yellows runs until 2024, the sporting perspective is crucial for the 21-year-old. It wants to be part of a project that promises success, otherwise it cannot be kept.
BVB could fare similarly to Jadon Sancho a few weeks ago in the coming summer – and lose Haaland to a lucrative offer from a European heavyweight. “This is a top player that the whole world wants – probably,” says Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic about the Supercup.
Those in charge don’t give too much thought to this yet. Coach Rose sees a chance for another Haaland season in Dortmund “if we write an extraordinary story here”. Even if it was “only” the Supercup: A triumph over the industry leader FC Bayern would have been a good start for an extraordinary story. Especially for someone who hates defeat as much as Erling Haaland.
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