Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak are two of the deadliest finishers in world football and have been in stunning form for Manchester City and Newcastle this season
Andy Cole has suggested that Alexander Isak boasts a more diverse range of finishing skills than Erling Haaland.
Isak played a starring role in Newcastle United’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, netting the second goal for his team following Dan Burn’s first-half opener. Liverpool could only muster a late consolation goal through substitute Federico Chiesa.
Eddie Howe’s squad clung on in the final moments to secure Newcastle’s first major trophy since 1969 and their first domestic trophy in 70 years. This marks Isak’s third significant career honour and his first since winning the Copa del Rey with Real Sociedad in 2020.
The Swedish international’s 23rd goal of the season puts him just two goals shy of his total tally from last season across all competitions. It’s been a standout season for the striker, who has positioned himself alongside Manchester City’s superstar as one of Europe’s top forwards.
Cole, who netted 68 goals in 84 games for Newcastle, is well-versed in the art of scoring and offered his analysis on the differences between the two strikers. The Premier League’s fourth-highest scorer ever stated that while Haaland is lethal in the six-yard box, he simply doesn’t have the array of finishes that Isak can execute, reports Chronicle Live.
“I look at Isak, he can go and get it short, run at people and come up the wide areas, he gets all kinds of finishes,” Cole said. “Haaland is an individual that is a six-yard predator. Whatever Pep [Guardiola] says to him, that’s exactly what he does. He does his job. And if you [compare] his goals to Isak’s goals, it’s totally different.”
Isak’s future at Newcastle is shaping up to be one of the simmering sagas of the summer window. Despite rumours connecting him with Liverpool and Arsenal, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has made it clear he believes the Toon have no business even pondering the idea of letting their main man go.
In a chat on The Rest Is Football podcast, when Gary Lineker probed about Isak’s market value, Shearer responded: “They can be linked all they want. Why would you sell him? Why would Newcastle even contemplate selling him?” Lineker suggested: “[Newcastle] could build a team for £150m, whatever it would be.” But Shearer stood firm, counter-arguing with: “You might just get [Isak’s] left foot for £150m!”
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