This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
There has been plenty of talk about Red Bull Salzburg wonderkid Erling Haaland, but Liverpool will have to watch out for his strike partner on Wednesday evening.
The Reds welcome the Austrian outfit to Anfield knowing anything less than three points would be an abject failure. After losing in Naples, a win on Wednesday would get their European campaign right back on track.
And Haaland is understandably the name on everyone’s lips. Although he is an injury doubt, he is expected to play some part, and he has racked up a ridiculous 17 goals and five assists in all competitions this season.
That said, he owes plenty of credit for his incredible form to his partner in crime Hee-chan Hwang, who was nothing short of sensational in the last round of fixtures against Genk.
While Haaland grabbed a hat-trick, it was the South Korean international who scored best on Sofascore’s player rating system, amassing a remarkable 9.6 out of 10, compared to Haaland’s 8.7.
It’s easy to see why too, as the 28-cap man provided two goals and created a further big chance with three total key passes, as well as finding the score-sheet himself. In all competitions this season, he has five goals and nine assists.
So he knows how to score and provide goals, but what else can he do? Well, while Haaland is hanging off the shoulder of the last defender waiting to pounce, his 23 year-old strike partner can be found harassing defenders and forcing them into mistakes.
Indeed, he won the ball back four times in the final third against Genk, per Sofascore, a statistic Jurgen Klopp will certainly be impressed by considering his famed love of gegenpressing. He also lost possession just nine times, which is a lot better than it sounds.
Attacking players tend to be high on that number, for example Haaland lost the ball 20 times in that match while the third highest-rated player, Zlatko Junuzović, surrendered possession a whopping 25 times.
Hwang also completed 85% of his passes in the opposition half, and his ability to pop up all over the pitch and string things together in the final third, combined with his constant pressing, causes havoc for defenders, allowing Haaland to flourish.
The Reds will no doubt be watching the teenage sensation with a keen eye, but forget about Hwang at your own peril. The versatile young forward is clever, hard-working and knows where the back of the net is.
