Erling Haaland

I would say-

This is E- Erling Haaland, who is Norway's star player in the World Cup, soccer player, and everyone's saying that he looks like a Nordic, like a ET.

And he really does, and he even has, like, weird features, and he moves d- differently, and he's a really good soccer player.

Like, it would be funny to me that if they allowed, like, an ET hybrid to actually play on a team.

João Pedro was my captain, so got 24 points out of him.

Haaland with nine, and then D- Dominic Calvert-Lewin with 10.

Although now would've been 12 because we've seen that-

Mm

... performance.

And I thought he would do well and Brighton would do well in that game, just not that well.

I went for Haaland captain because you two...

I was fuming against you when I saw that you two-

And with João Pedro, João Pedro would probably now free up to a cheaper forward.

Haaland, Isak, and one more.

I'll do a draft on, on the weekender tomorrow but, yeah, uh, i- if, if it's a Liverpool attacker, if a Liverpool attacker made it in there, I could only think that'd probably be Isak.

Uh, Ricky Young says, "Bench Maguire or VVD this week?" [chuckles] This is a good one, this.

Like I said, uh, his ownership will be higher this week as well because a lot of people are just gonna end up [coughs] excuse me, playing him under that circumstance.

Uh, Maru says, "Hey, James.

Is it too crazy this gameweek to bring in Haaland, Wissa and Isak with no Chelsea João Pedro?" Um, context, mate.

Is this a wildcard? I mean, if those are your three choices, I'm cool with it.

I don't know if you watched the audio back or listened to the audio back as the VAR process tried to work out whether City's goal should stand or not.

First thing they do is check Haaland's offside.

Then they go back and check, you know, well, is the ball over the top to Iliman Ndiaye? Is he onside? No, that's fine.

Is there a f-...

Let's just say Arsenal, Man City.

Let's just say that happens on the weekend.

Enzo, but it lands to Haaland, he scores.

Arteta waves his whatever you need to wave to VAR.

Brighton will play the winner of tonight's tie between Manchester City and Norwich in the next round and City boss Enzo Maresca says he's looking forward to a night without VAR.

Referees chief Howard Webb admitted the video assistant officials made a mistake to allow Erling Haaland's winner stand in last weekend's derby against Manchester United but the technology isn't in use at this stage of the cup.

It's another competition the ambition is still the same there is not VAR but uh we don't plan the game in a different way.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey was also on the football show last night with Mick McCarthy, and he pondered if VAR can actually improve refereeing decisions on the field of play.

Sunderland

are the only club that Erling Haaland has not scored against in the Premier League.

He didn't really look like doing it last season.

What is it about Sunderland? Is our milk too pasteurised for him? Is there something about that that he just treats Sunderland like some kind of kryptonite?

Well, I'd imagine Dan Ballard probably has a say in it and Nardi Mukheleli as well.

I think they're two players who have really given as good as they've got when they've come up against him.

And I don't think there is a blueprint per se to stop in Erling Haaland, but I think of the times where he has struggled in games over the last 12 months or so, because obviously player turnover since he arrived has been so high just in the league in general.

There has been Van Hecker, formerly of Brighton, obviously now at Spurs.

And I think it's very difficult to find those kind of players who are happy to be the backup.

I think City have had this problem over the course of the summer with Erling Haaland.

How do you bring in a player and say, well, you're basically never going to start who is up to the requisite quality that you want to be that kind of backup player or kind of alternative option.

Espi has come in there.

Yeah, again, I can't see this being anything other than a City win.

I've gone 3-0 purely on the basis that I've triple captained Erling Haaland in my fantasy Premier League for this, because Sunderland don't quite look the same quality.

And I think as well, at time of recording, Sunderland are playing midweek, aren't they, against...

I think it's AZ

So, Thomas Sorensen, give me your three results for those games, please.

Even though I've talked Sunderland up a little bit, I would give Man City 3-1 Haaland, the form he's in.

I hope for the sake of Man United fans and Man United as well that they go to Fulham with their record being at the bottom.

They have to win that game.