Haaland started only three of the Dortmund’s five Bundesliga matches since the resumption of the season last month, while the Norwegian suffered a minor knee injury in late May.
Haaland’s mentality is important for the team
Erling Haaland’s attitude during matches and training delighted Lucien Favre from the moment the striker arrived at Borussia Dortmund. Still, his coach wants him to understand the need for an occasional break. Haaland started only three of the Dortmund’s five Bundesliga matches since the resumption of the season last month, while the Norwegian suffered a minor knee injury in late May. His appearances against Schalke aside, the 19-year-old displays were not as explosive as before the coronavirus break. Still, without him, as a team, Dortmund turned out to be significantly short in attack. It proved a challenge for Dortmund to balance the need to keep it fresh and to maximize their attacking output – Haaland’s late winner in the 1-0 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf on the weekend coming after he came on as a substitute.
Favre would have to bring another striker next season to prevent Haaland’s burning out
But Lucien is well aware of the potential pitfalls of Haaland’s congestion, even if there is no teenager, and he admitted that he would have to bring another forward next season to prevent the former Salzburg star from burning out. “I think everyone knows that,” Favre told reporters on Monday when asked if he needed another central striker as a back-up next term. “I think it’s also clear because Haaland is only 19 years old. Normally, he sometimes gets tired when you have an English week because he cannot do everything on his own. We also noticed that he is still growing. He has been injured two to three times recently since he came to us. We must dose what he does because otherwise, it could be dangerous.”
For a youngster, it’s impossible to play three games in one week
“He needs to understand this because sometimes it is impossible to play three games in one week. Many players have problems with that.” You may get hurt, or you are not fresh, and he must have freshness, but usually, Haaland plays because we need him. I like his temper, he always wants to be on the pitch and still win, but, of course, he must also achieve his progress, he is only 19, and he has so much perspective. But he likes to be fit, he still wants to do special exercises after training, and I love it. I like to do this with him, but he must understand that it is essential to dose all this.”
Dortmund returns to action at home to Mainz on Wednesday, knowing that the turn in the title race will be behind them if Bayern Munich defeats Werder Bremen on Tuesday to clinch the Bundesliga’s eighth consecutive crown.