"You can see how" - Thierry Henry makes interesting comparison between Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski and Manchester City forward Erling Haaland have both proven to be impressive signings for their respective clubs, considering their explosive start to the season. After watching the two finishers light up La Liga and the Premier League respectively in recent weeks, former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has come up with an interesting comparison.
Haaland dominated headlines last weekend with an incredible hat-trick against Manchester United in the Manchester derby. That raised the Norwegian's tally for the season to 17 goals and three assists in 11 appearances across competitions.
ERLING HAALAND HAT TRICK IN THE MANCHESTER DERBY 🗣️ https://t.co/QW7tIUWEol
During a conversation between Jamie Carragher, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards and Thierry Henry, Richards wondered whether Haaland would've had the same level of success as Lewandowski at the Camp Nou.
Henry replied, as quoted by Liverpool Echo:
"I don't know, it's a different ball game. Like I always say, you need to cast the right actor for the right movie. What Haaland is doing, that's the perfect actor for that team. Sometimes you play in another team - I wouldn't have played for Bolton, are you mad?"
Carragher and Richards were surprised by the comparison, with the latter replying: "Wow!" The former Arsenal forward continued:
"That's what I'm saying, if you were to play long ball under Sam Allardyce, I would have left at half-time."
The former Arsenal striker further explained that Lewandowski's impact at Barcelona is as big as Haaland's exploits with Manchester City.
"Nobody is saying that Haaland is not doing well, and the impact is not great," Henry remarked. "I'm saying that Lewandowski has (had) as big of an impact as what Haaland is doing."
He continued:
"If you argue the fact that Man City - were they top of the league last year? Were they competing? Were Barca top of the league? No they were not. I'm not always talking about the goals or what you do."
Erling Haaland's last three Premier League home games:
⚽⚽⚽ vs. Crystal Palace
⚽⚽⚽ vs. Nottingham Forest
⚽⚽⚽ vs. Manchester United
Hat trick of hat tricks 🎩 https://t.co/e8UW6NCbY8
"Some types of players have an impact on what he does and what he brings. For example Gabriel Jesus (at Arsenal), you can see what he's bringing to the team, that winning mentality. Not a lot of guys won in that team at Barcelona. You have a couple of the old guard that did it, but not a lot of the guys did it," said Henry.
Lewandowski is off to a fine start to life at the Camp Nou, bagging 12 goals in ten games across competitions. However, he drew a rare blank in the 1-0 UEFA Champions League defeat at Inter Milan on Tuesday (October 4).
Henry said about the Pole:
"What Lewandowski is bringing on top of the goals is also how everyone is playing around him. You can see how they speak when he's there, but nobody is disputing what Haaland is doing. What Haaland is doing is stupid - in a good way."
How Barcelona and Manchester City have fared this season?
Barcelona have done quite well in La Liga this season. They lead the standings with 19 points from seven games, leading holders Real Madrid on goal difference. However, the Blaugrana will need to step up in the Champions League, where they've lost two of their three games.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are second in the Premier League with 20 points in eight games and are well posed to qualify for the Champions League knockouts after winning their opening two games in the tournament. Manchester City play at home against Copenhagen tonight.