As Qatar opens its eyes to the world of football, some big players and big teams will not be seen. Euro champions Italy and Europe’s top striker Erling Haaland missed the bus to Qatar.
The football world was shocked when Italy, the Euro 2020 champions, missed out on the World Cup stage after going unbeaten. Chile, Colombia, Egypt and Sweden will play in the gallery this time. It will be a loss for those who love football in Qatar if Erling Haaland, who is a quick goalscorer, and Mohamed Salah, who is a great finisher, will not be in Qatar to score goals. Haaland, the 22-year-old Norwegian, has scored 11 goals in seven Premier League games this season and is in great form. What distinguishes the player who reached 25 goals in the fastest time is lightning fast, accurate and unexpected movements and shots. Haaland is one of the best strikers in Europe. He scored 21 goals in 23 games for Norway. The last time Norway played in the World Cup was in 1998, but in 2018, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, who tied the boots in Russia, could not find his way to Qatar. He scored 49 goals in 89 games. The finishing skills and tactics of Salah, who reaches the opponent’s goal with astonishing speed, cannot be seen in Qatar. The strength of football is the playmakers, who break up the opponent’s movements and initiate counter-moves, who strategize in midfield and plan the game. Among them, Keman Italy and Marco Verratti are not in Qatar. Verratti is known for his passing accuracy and quick recognition of the flow of the game. Qatar will lose two men in front of the goal post. It will take at least four years before Italy, Donnarumma and Slovenia’s Obalak finish at the goal post with magical performances on the world stage.
