Between Manchester City and the championship, between Italy and the World Cup, there is only one Haaland

After a disastrous defeat to Norway in the first round, Italy finally stopped falling and won five consecutive games. However, in Group I of the World Cup European Qualifiers, they are still 3 points behind Norway and 16 goals behind on goal difference. Even if they defeat their opponents at home in the final round, they will basically not be able to win the first place in the group. The nightmare of participating in the play-offs for three consecutive years and missing out on the World Cup for two consecutive years seems to be looming in front of us again.

Except for Italy's carelessness in the first game, they scored three points in all subsequent games. It can only be said that Norway performed very steadily without making any mistakes. Italy lacked the good luck of Germany, Slovakia lacked strength, and a defeat allowed Germany to return to the top of the standings. However, looking back, what Italy lacks more than Norway is Haaland.

Norway is only 3 points ahead of Italy in points. This is due to the duel between the two sides. However, the 16 goal difference gap is Italy's desperate statistic. The past two games were at home. Norway went 11-1 in one game and 5-0 in the other. Although he missed two penalty kicks, Haaland was not affected at all. He scored 8 goals alone and used his own goals to lay the foundation for Norway to advance. Without Odegaard, he can still lead the team forward.

On the other hand, Italy faced the same two opponents at home, with a total of only 5 goal differences, 10 less than Norway. Among them, Haaland contributed 8 goals alone. This is the gap! From a certain perspective, Italy did not lose to itself, but to Haaland. There is only one Haaland between Italy and the World Cup. Why can he score so many goals?

In the past few years, Manchester City has enjoyed great success in the Premier League, winning four consecutive championships and setting a winning streak in England's top league. Haaland's presence is very important and fills a key piece of the puzzle in Guardiola's system. Manchester City has a strong midfield. When De Bruyne, Rodri and B. Silva were still young, Haaland received a steady supply of supplies, and scoring goals became easy.

When the aging problem of the midfielder emerged, De Bruyne left again, and Manchester City slowly went downhill. However, Haaland can still become the leader of the Premier League's scorer list. With enough goals, Manchester City's ranking will not fall to the bottom half, nor will it fall behind its rivals in the same city. The existence of a powerful center has changed everything.

Although Salah is not a center in the traditional sense, his outstanding performance last season benefited Liverpool a lot and won the second Premier League championship trophy early. This season, Salah's performance has declined, and Liverpool does not have a top scorer. With three goals at the beginning of the season, Ekitic has the most points in the league for the team, but only one-third of Haaland's. Coupled with the fact that Wirtz needs an adaptation period, it is not difficult to understand that Liverpool has lost three consecutive games.

Manchester United is also troubled by the center. Martial, who was brilliant in the early days, was once considered the second Henry. Hoylen, who just left, cannot find his own position in the Premier League. New aid Sheshko started to score goals, and it was only in the early stages of the game. 9 league goals this season, just tied for the top ten, last season's 44 goals was even worse, only slightly more than the relegated team. The lack of goals is an important reason why the goal difference has always been negative.

If Liverpool wants to hit the championship, the center can provide greater assistance. Last season, when facing Paris at home and away, the dilemma of no one scoring a goal would not happen. Manchester United, which insists on three defenders, must solve the center problem if they want to rebuild. Amorim can only squat on the grass, looking for his own Yokeres. Fortunately, Norway has Haaland and can compete in the World Cup. Manchester City has Haaland and can avoid a sharp decline. A top center can bring unimaginable advantages.

The European play-offs are actually not easy at all. The 16 teams are divided into 4 groups, and each group of 4 teams plays two knockout rounds. Only two consecutive wins can advance to the World Cup. In the previous play-off, Italy lost to Sweden. In the previous play-off, it lost to North Macedonia in the first play-off and was eliminated. Is Italy ready this time?