Well, 9 games into the season, it's safe to say Haaland is the finisher we hoped he'd be. He's not easy on the eyes. He's not graceful like Thierry Henry, magnetic like Messi. He definitely lacks the high cheekbones and artfully manscaped eyebrows of Cristiano Ronaldo. But his left foot. It's a thing of beauty. 

     When it comes to understanding Haaland's immediate impact on Premier League football, everybody's focusing on one number - his 20 goals (15 in the PL, 5 in the Champions League). This is understandable. It's a staggering total at such an early stage in both competitions. He's not just set to break records this season - he's poised to obliterate them. 

     But I'd like to focus on a couple of more nuanced numbers this week, because I think they help us understand something important about this unique attacking talent, and how to make the most of him going forward. 

     1. Haaland's two offsides calls. If you weren't aware of this stat yet, I hope you're spitting the beverage of your choice across the room right now. I'll give you a moment to clean the screen... How exactly does a striker play 797 minutes and score 15 goals and only get caught off-sides twice? Our starting left back has been caught off-sides more times this season. Gabriel Jesus is probably off-sides right now, and he's not even on a football pitch.

     So, we love Haaland's left foot. But let's focus on what's between his ears. An 8-1 goal to off-side call ratio is an absolutely unfathomable feat by Haaland, and it shows how skilled he is at choosing and timing his runs, one of the primary factors in a striker's ability to score goals. If you watch Haaland closely, he is also extremely good at bending his runs, angling across the defensive line into the spaces between centerbacks, and then turning toward goal and hitting the gas just as the ball is played. Finally, Haaland's stinginess when it comes to off-sides calls demonstrates his confidence in his pace and physicality, which are unparalleled in combination. But lots of players are big and fast - Haaland knows what to do with these qualities. Haaland is aware that he doesn't have to beat a centerback to the starting gate. Once the race is underway, it will be nearly impossible for anyone to beat him to the ball or dispossess him, except perhaps a Virgil Van Dijk in his prime (which seems to be long gone if you've been watching Liverpool this year). Knowing this, he exercises patience, followed by that burst of hunger, brutality, and precision that are becoming his trademark.   

     2. One goal assisted by the right wing or right back. This is a trickier stat because it's not kept by any aggregator I could find. On a hunch, I watched all 20 of Haaland's goals, and tried to figure it myself. I could only find one assisted from either of the two positions who work the right touchline. Where do Haaland's goals come from? So far, there are the typical tap-ins and poacher's goals that you expect a striker to put in the net. Then there have been a couple of goals off the dribble - not many, far fewer than he scored at Dortmund. This makes sense - City are not a countering team that plays off the break. They generally ply their offensive skills in tight spaces. Then there is the lion's share of Haaland's goals, which have been assisted by DeBruyne from the right / rear, with his curling diagonal crosses and through-balls, and Jaio Cancelo and Foden from the left. In order to score off crosses from this side, Haaland has showcased his most spectacularly athletic abilities, karate kicking at the far post and finding 18 inches at the near post to poke the ball into with his left boot. 

     But from the right winger and right back? 1 goal, off a weak little square ball across the box from Mahrez's weak right foot. I think this stat is crucial, and holds the key to unlocking Haaland's potential in the future. At this point, you've maybe spit the rest of your coffee, beer, diet energy drink onto the floor. How could it be possible that Haaland isn't already maximizing his potential? It's a crazy thought, that he might have even more goals in him (significantly more) than he's already scoring. 

     But consider this. Haaland is a left-footed target man who is listed at 6'4" and nearly 200 pounds. He is a traditional right winger's dream. A classic right-footed playmaker like George Best, David Beckham, or, to think of a more current, but equally English example, Kirian Trippier, would give their left foot to play with Haaland, because they would tally twice as many assists with their right. You can bend it in to Haaland off the run, or stand up a cross to him at the penalty spot and he'll bury both of them. Nowadays, however, (at least since Arjen Robben's unplayable days at Bayern) inverted wingers are en vogue, and understandably so. A left-footed right winger like Mahrez simply has more options when they cut inside onto their strong foot, coming across the top of the 18 yard box. They can dribble, shoot, or hit an inswinger, where the right-footed player at the equivalent position tends to get buried in the corner of the pitch, forced to hit a predictable outswinging cross. Guardiola loves inverted wingers because they create overloads in those little pockets of space just outside the corner of the box, and this is where City generate so many of their goals, through overlapping runs and one-twos. 

     But here's the thing. City have a ready made right winger in Alvarez, who has elite pace and a sniper rifle for a right foot. We haven't yet seen what Alvarez might do from the wide right position, once he has a chance to settle into it. He'd love the minutes, obviously, and he might just come to love Haaland's left foot as much as we already do. I'm sure Pep is running these numbers, and I hope he's coming to the same conclusion. To get the most out of Haaland, we need stronger right-footed playmaking from the right, and rather than look to the transfer market come January, we should make the most of the guys we already have.