Erling Haaland made an instant impact, scoring two goals for Manchester City against Burnley. Interestingly, three Burnley players had chosen Haaland as the captain of their fantasy football teams just before his stellar performance.
Erling Haaland wasted no time, scoring two goals as Manchester City secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Burnley in the opening match of the Premier League season. His quick goals at Turf Moor showcased his prowess after a remarkable season where he netted 52 goals across various competitions.
Erling Haaland bagged a brace in the season opener
Josh Brownhill, Jack Cork, and Arijanet Muric were the trio from Burnley who made Haaland their fantasy football captain, reaping double points due to his impressive display. However, Burnley’s new signing, James Trafford, who previously played for City, decided to assign himself as vice-captain and excluded Haaland – a choice that might have affected his fantasy football ranking.
Notably, Erling Haaland dominated the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) scoring charts in the previous season with an exceptional goal-scoring performance. While players like Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah also shone in FPL, Kane is unavailable this season due to his transfer to Bayern Munich.
A website called “fplbot” tracks Premier League players’ teams and progress. After the first week of the season, Kieran Trippier topped the charts, and two Burnley players were among the top ten. Strikingly, seven out of the top ten teams selected Haaland as their captain.
The Premier League clubs and players have received warnings regarding FPL usage. Concerns have arisen about information leaks, especially related to injuries. In 2021, Aston Villa players faced a ban from the game for substituting Jack Grealish due to reported injury news.
Automated software is now used to monitor changes in players’ or club staff members’ teams, causing increased speculation about internal information. Some clubs have discouraged players from selecting teammates in their FPL teams.
While some players opt to play cautiously, others have shown confidence in themselves. For instance, Leeds star Patrick Bamford revealed that he would often captain himself in FPL when his team was in the Premier League.
Despite a heated exchange with manager Pep Guardiola on the pitch at half-time, Erling Haaland delivered a strong performance on the opening day. Reflecting on the incident, Haaland stated: “I try to focus every day, and I always say it’s a pleasure to work with Pep. I have to keep developing because I’m still young – don’t forget! There’s no one better to learn from.”
He also shed light on the altercation with Guardiola, explaining: “That incident was from the last action [in the first half], because I got a bit mad at Bernardo [Silva] for not passing to me, so he got a bit angry with me! But overall, it’s a positive start for the season’s first game.”
