Haller's Hammer Hell

One of the heartwarming football stories in recent seasons was Frankfurt's Europa League journey in the 2018/19 season, when the trident of Haller-Jovic-Rebic spearheaded the side to success. After years of boring football and mediocrity, somewhat ended by Niko Kovac, Adi Hütter took over when the former left for Bayern.

The system, from what I can remember, was as such. Again, I hate to continually reference Atalanta in these articles, but there certainly were similarities to what Gasperini has implemented so successfully in Bergamo. The majority of goals came from the front three. Specifically, Jovic scored 17 times, Haller finished with 15, Rebic added 9 goals, and Kostic chipped in with 6 from the left flank (Bundesliga numbers). On the other flank was Danny da Costa, who has since disappeared in terms of performance, but he was the more defensive of the wing backs. The defense consisted of the ageless Makoto Hasebe in the middle, captain (in name only) David Abraham, and French phenom Evan N'Dicka on the left. The midfield was workmanlike with De Guzman and Fernandes starting regularly, as Rode and Gacinovic (both still at the club) would rotate in. Basically, they could either possess the ball or counter, though they'd do better in quick transition. Kostic or Rebic would initiate moves, with Haller acting as the target man and Jovic operating as a poacher. He (Jovic) looked like a young Aguero, hence why he was purchased by Madrid after the season. Haller, as the "striker partner", would as I said play the role of target man. Not like Bas Dost where he's a lump whose head you aim at, but more of a Giroud type.

Honestly, the entire team may have peaked that season. None of them played up to that standard after losing to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, for Frankfurt or whatever team they now play for. Rebic is at Milan, and he did pretty well last season once Zlatan re-joined. Now, however, he doesn't start, as Rafael Leao is far more promising. Jovic has had a torrid time in Madrid. It's not a massive shock, considering it's hit or miss when players join clubs at that level from a smaller club like Frankfurt, especially with such a small sample size. Part of it is personality as well. Kostic has been amazing, but he's the only one out of this group. N'Dicka is still only 21, though he probably needs a change of scenery to continue his development. Haller is the one I'm focusing on, so we'll get into his time in London.

In my West Ham article I explained the issue with this transfer, but I'll recap it again for the sake of this article. A back three is something that was popularized by Antonio Conte a few years back when he won the title at Chelsea. To keep it succinct, a successful back three needs to have creativity or at the very least numbers getting forward to support the attack. The Hammers are 14th right now. Man United is the only team below (with a game in hand) that is clearly more talented, and all of Villa, Leeds, Newcastle and Palace are above them. I hate watching teams that play like Moyes has them playing. A back three can be beautiful if it's set up correctly, and West Ham's is far from that. The success story in the team is Antonio (when he's not injured). I can best describe it as purely reactive, defensive football. There are 5 out and out defenders starting each game, as I don't count Masuaku as a winger because his end product is mediocre. In the midfield, you have Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, neither of whom is a creative player. Thus, you have a goalkeeper and 7 defensive players, leaving only 3 going forward. Bowen and Fornals are chosen to support Antonio when the team's full strength. Neither is great at scoring or particularly athletic; what they bring is work rate and technical ability. It works with Antonio because he runs around all day, hence why he gets injured often. He can finish when he's on form, like the end of last season and the beginning of this, but overall he has not been prolific in front of goal.

Haller is not at all similar. If you were to compare Antonio to one of Frankfurt's three, it would be Rebic. He did the dirty work. It's just not a good fit. What irritates me is when people, mainly online, say "HALLER DOESN'T SHOW ENOUGH EFFORT" and the like. This isn't the point of the article, but English football has been "overrated" for 50 years largely due to this attitude. They prioritize "pashun", running for running's sake, and hard tackles over competent attacking football. Running around because it's one of your only strengths is not necessarily a good thing. It's why Antonio was lower down the leagues for large spells of his career and even played a wing back at times. Also, looking at the teams West Ham played thus far, they've faced most of the teams that'll struggle to break them down. Look at the Wolves game; Nuno's side pondered on the ball, got slapped in the face early on, and gave up by half time, losing 4-0. Same with Leicester (who were down a number of players) and Man City to a lesser extent; 30% possession and taking advantage of defensive lapses. That type of football is not sustainable, nor is it suitable for a player like Haller. It simply isn't. He thrives as a creative target man, as shown by his numbers in a team that actually attacked. Moyes won't change, and I don't see West Ham's board getting rid of him unless they're in serious trouble. Thus, as someone who doesn't whine about problems without solutions, I'll mention some clubs he could thrive in and why.

Man City: This one may be a reach, but I have good reasons for including them. First is they lack a target man. Liam Delap, sure, but he's only young. Haller is close to the finished article at 26. Aguero is aging and has always missed time due to injury, as has Jesus of late, plus the Brazilian hasn't looked the part at time. I know his goal record is surprisingly prolific, but then again Sterling puts up 20+ goals a season missing sitters on a regular basis. I look at Dzeko as an example, though they're not the same (plus Pep wasn't there at that point). Haller is a bit stronger, but shorter, and probably a better passer, while the Bosnian is a more lethal finisher, even at his age. The other thing with City is when they go behind, they result to crossing, despite the obvious height deficiency in the team. Imagine going from no service to KDB whipping the ball into the box at you, with guys like Sterling and Ferran Torres running on.

Brighton: I didn't have this team in mind at first, but it would be a fit. Looking at Connolly, Maupay and Trossard, as well as the way they play, he'd easily put up numbers. Hell, a washed Glenn Murray was putting a numbers there for a while. The Seagulls severely lack a finisher, and that's what Haller is (in the right set up). Also, you have Lamptey bombing forward on the wing, a bit like Kostic did, so that's some service he'd get. Knowing West Ham, he'd probably be gettable at a decent price, despite the inflated fee they paid. The one thing I'd maybe question with Brighton is the "walking it into the net" thing they do under Potter. Overcomplicating things is less of a problem than no service at all, as long as chances are being created, which Haller would finish.

Milan clubs: neither is a perfect fit, but better than West Ham. Milan need a long term Zlatan replacement. Colombo and Maldini are young, who knows if they'll pan out. Rebic is already there, which is nice. They have tons of creative players, such as Hauge, Brahim, Hakan, Leao, and Saelemakers. Theo is one of the more electric left backs in the game, and Haller would thrive off him like Zlatan does. Also, Zlatan certainly isn't mobile at this point in his career, so the "work rate" nonsense wouldn't be relevant... Inter, on the other hand, could do with a Lukaku alternative. Esposito may be that guy, but they're in win-now mode. I'm pretty sure I wanted Inter to sign him to replace Icardi when his wife was popping off the last time, before Conte arrived. He'd be boss with Lautaro. Also, Hakimi is up there with the promising wide players in world football. Goals, assists, halfway decent defending, he has it all. It's a shame Kolarov isn't like 28 because that would be a disgusting wing-back pair in terms of service.

Bundesliga top 3: Yes, Zirkzee is at Bayern. At the same time, he needs to develop. I'd loan him if I were them, hence why I mention Haller. They've got Choupo, who I cannot sit here and say is better than Haller. At the same time, he was out of contract and Bayern are cheap. He'd be a great Lewandowski back up, if he were down for that. Same with Dortmund. They literally don't have another striker after Haaland. I've mentioned that before, but it's mental and frankly negligent that they had zero strikers at the start of last season, and still only have one now. Haller could also play with Haaland, as they're quite different and could complement each other. Finally, Leipzig. They simply don't have a reliable goalscorer since Werner left. Sorloth is supposed to be that guy, and he's only just arrived, so they'd be smart to give him a season or two to see if he's fit for the project.

Sevilla: One "out there" shout, but sensible IMO. Since Ben Yedder left, the club simply hasn't had a quality striker. De Jong is not very good, despite Inter letting him head in two goals to win the Sevilla, I mean Europa, League, and En-Nesyri was at an inept Leganes team for a reason. Haller certainly isn't Ben Yedder, style wise, but he could thrive off crosses while being better than what they have.

One common theme of the teams I reckon the Frenchman would thrive at: THEY DON'T SIT BACK LIKE COWARDS!!! I get that the manager change meant he wasn't Moyes's pick, but holy cow how hard is it to set up the team for him to succeed? 7 defensive players, a goalkeeper, two hard workers and Haller? And you seriously expect him to score? Also, it's Liverpool away, you never beat them anyways, have a freaking go! On another note, they'll beat Fulham because Scott Parker certainly won't change from their possession for no reason tactics. Sheffield United will be a much harder game, as they defend first, which an inferior team should do. They can't score, to be fair, so I'd reckon a draw or late West Ham win, in spite of Moyes. I also think Fornals is a bit wasted there. Villarreal is at a higher level than West Ham, but money talks.