Erling Haaland must leave Borussia Dortmund if he wants real success

Death, taxes and name of Erling Haaland on the scoresheet.

It’s a rare commodity to have someone on your team for whom goal scoring is as natural and instinctive as anything.

But that’s exactly what Borussia Dortmund have. It’s no secret that Haaland is a freak of nature in front of goal and his numbers have been nothing short of scary since joining € 20m – yes, just € 20m – in the Bundesliga last January. .

The Norwegian has scored 37 goals in 37 games since joining Signal Iduna Park from RB Salzburg – for which he has scored 29 goals in 27 appearances.

So why, with all these goals from Haaland and a creative force around him, is Dortmund fifth in the league, ten points behind leaders Bayern and risk missing out on Champions League football next season?

Well, they’re in the throes of seemingly incurable desperation at the back, costing them points, results and the end of trophies – and in doing so, Haaland has cost true greatness in the world of football a chance.

While BVB boast of the Bundesliga’s second-best attacking this season, their defensive record is the second-worst in the top eight, conceding 26 in 18 appearances – seven of them in their last three.

It was hoped in December that the sacking of Lucien Favre after a shocking 5-1 loss to Stuttgart followed by the interim appointment of Edin Terzic would make a difference for Dortmund. Although BVB’s playstyle and chance creation have improved dramatically since Terzic’s arrival – proven by an increase of around one in expected goals per game – defensive issues are still very much, very apparent.

While they were uncomfortable in a back three under Favre, Terzic’s reintroduction of a back four seems to have left them confused and sloppy.

This was more visible than ever as Dortmund succumbed to a 4-2 loss at the hands of rival Borussia Monchengladbach, who then replaced them in Champions League places in the Bundesliga.

The worst part was that all four goals were completely avoidable.

Nonchalant branding from Manuel Akanji, unforgivable handling from Roman Burki, lack of desire to close from Mateu Morey and Julian Brandt, and a weak jump from Emre Can all led to the respective goals which undid Haaland’s hard work in the first. half.

BVB’s previous game against Bayer Leverkusen also highlighted the backline’s lack of awareness of their surroundings and positioning, ultimately allowing 17-year-old Florian Wirtz to steal an 80th-minute winner in a loss 2-1.

Every team is going to lose games in a season – that’s a given. But these two examples of uncertain, shoddy and dismal defense are not unique for Dortmund. Defensive mistakes have been a hallmark for all of them over the course of the campaign, and this has left them looking incapable of winning silverware and even risking ending up outside the top four – the question is whether Haaland is wasted in the BVB?

While the striker is happy at Dortmund and shows his glorious talent on a permanent basis for the team, it seems unlikely that he will have the opportunity to lift trophies while he is there – purely for the fact of this that is behind him.

One thing is certain, however: Haaland will always be among the targets. But, if he is to claim the title of a true big game success story when he retires, the Norwegian should be thinking about silverware and not just the scoreboards.

Of course, it all depends on how the attacker himself defines success. If these are trophies as good as objectives, then we could see him leave BVB for a real national and European competitor as soon as possible.